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Prefrontal white matter in pathological liars

Department of Psychology, University of Southern California

TODD LENCZ, PhD

Department of Research, Hillside Hospital (North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System)

SUSAN BIHRLE, PhD and LORI LACASSE, BA

Department of Psychology, University of Southern California

PATRICK COLLETTI, MD

Department of Radiology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, USA

Correspondence: DrYalingYang, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089–1061, USA.Tel: +1 213 720 2220; fax: +1 213 740 0897; e-mail: yalingy{at}usc.edu

Declaration of interest None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

See invited commentary, pp. 326–327, this issue.

Background Studies have shown increased bilateral activation in the prefrontal cortex when normal individuals lie, but there have been no structural imaging studies of deceitful individuals.

Aims To assess whether deceitful individuals show structural abnormalities in prefrontal grey and white matter volume.

Method Prefrontal grey and white matter volumes were assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging in 12 individuals who pathologically lie, cheat and deceive (‘liars’),16 antisocial controls and 21 normal controls.

Results Liars showed a 22–26% increase in prefrontal white matter and a 36–42% reduction in prefrontal grey/white ratios compared with both antisocial controls and normal controls.

Conclusions These findings provide the first evidence of a structural brain deficitinliars, they implicate the prefrontal cortex as an important (but not sole) component in the neural circuitry underlying lying and provide an initial neurobiological correlate of a deceitful personality.

Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue

KIMBERLIE DEAN
BJP 2005 187: 301-a13. [Full Text]  

Prefrontal white matter – the tissue of lies?: Invited commentary on...Prefrontal white matter in pathological liars

SEAN A. SPENCE
BJP 2005 187: 326-327. [Full Text]  

PETER TYRER
BJP 2005 187: 394. [Full Text]  

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