Effect of prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation on spontaneous truth-telling

• Published in: Behavioural brain research 2011-11, Vol.225 (1), p.209-214
• Main Authors: Karton, Inga, Bachmann, Talis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Choice Behavior - physiology; Deception; Deceptive behaviour; Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Electric Stimulation; Female; Functional Laterality; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time; Spontaneous lying; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0166-4328; 1872-7549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.07.028

► Subjects were engaged in a “harmless” task of naming visual objects. ► Propensity to spontaneous lying was manipulated by rTMS of DLPFC. ► Left-hemisphere stimulation increased non-truthful responding. ► Right-hemisphere stimulation increased truthful responding. Brain-process foundations of deceptive behaviour have become a subject of intensive study both in fundamental and applied neuroscience. Recently, utilization of transcranial magnetic stimulation has enhanced methodological rigour in this research because in addition to correlational studies causal effects of the distinct cortical systems involved can be studied. In these studies, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has been implied as the brain area involved in deceptive behaviour. However, combined brain imaging and stimulation research has been concerned mostly with deceptive behaviour in the contexts of mock thefts and/or denial of recognition of critical objects. Spontaneous, “criminally decontextuated” propensity to lying and its dependence on the activity of selected brain structures has remained unexplored. The purpose of this work is to test whether spontaneous propensity to lying can be changed by brain stimulation. Here, we show that when subjects can name the colour of presented objects correctly or incorrectly at their free will, the tendency to stick to truthful answers can be manipulated by stimulation targeted at dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Right hemisphere stimulation decreases lying, left hemisphere stimulation increases lying. Spontaneous choice to lie more or less can be influenced by brain stimulation.