A brief from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience assesses the potential and pitfalls of using neuroscientific lie detection technology in court. The brief takes a close look at how functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which can be used to analyze brain data, can be used in court to determine if a person is lying. The researchers provide insight into the areas of the brain involved in lying, the impact of memory on deception, how countermeasures may foil efforts to detect lies, and potential concerns about the validity of fMRI findings.
