Functional magnetic resonance imaging: a new scientific tool in the ‘detection of deception

The accurate detection of deception is a challenge to a variety of workers, be it in the scientific field or the civil or criminal investigative agencies engaged in the ongoing quest for truth. One recent technique which still is in its infancy, but with many promising possibilities, is the magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It is a type of specialized MRI scan which measures the hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain and as a consequence of this can help in establishing with a great amount of accuracy (90–93%) whether a person is lying or not. However, till date, all the tests have been conducted in experimental situations. It is still too early to tell whether or not we have in our hands a good testing tool to detect deception.