An electroencephalography network and connectivity analysis for deception in instructed lying tasks

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Deception is a significant social behavior extensively studied in recent decades.
• Understanding the cognitive processes underlying deception is crucial for various fields.
• Previous research has explored deception, but neural mechanisms during stimulus processing remain less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrophysiological differences in cognitive processes during the stimulus delivery period (SDP) for instructed lying (IL) versus instructed truth-telling (IT).
• To examine deception in both experienced (WE) and non-experienced (NE) events using electroencephalography (EEG).
• To analyze brain network connectivity in the source space to understand deception mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• An electroencephalography (EEG) study was conducted with participants in a mock interview scenario.
• Participants were instructed to either lie or tell the truth in response to questions about authentic (WE) and fictional (NE) experiences.
• Frequency domain network and connectivity analysis were performed in the source space on EEG data during the SDP.

Main Results:

• Distinct groups of neuronal generators were identified for both instructed lying (IL) and instructed truth-telling (IT) conditions during the SDP.
• Significant differences in intra- and inter-group connectivity were observed between IL and IT conditions for both WE and NE tasks.
• Response times showed varied correlations with the clustering coefficients of specific brain regions (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus, precuneus, angular gyrus, auditory cortex, somatosensory cortex) depending on the condition (IL/IT, WE/NE).

Conclusions:

• The study provides evidence for distinct electrophysiological mechanisms underlying instructed lying and truth-telling during the stimulus delivery period.
• Differences in neural network connectivity during SDP are key to distinguishing deceptive from truthful cognitive processes.
• These findings elucidate the electrophysiological underpinnings of deception at regional, inter-regional, and network levels.