Systems and methods for detecting deception by measuring brain activity

• US 20050119547A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MUSC Foundation For Research Development (State of South Carolina)
• Original Assignee: MUSC Foundation For Research Development (State of South Carolina)
• Inventors: Kozel, Frank Andrew, Nelson, Stephen J., George, Mark S., Shastri, Ananda, Bohning, Daryl E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/164 Lie detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]

Abstract

Methods for determining whether the brain activity of a human subject in response to a stimulus of interest or question of interest is characteristic of a state of interest, such as a deceptive state or a truthful state, are disclosed. Some methods include the use of control questions, including truthful control questions and deceptive control questions, to provide bases for comparison for responses to stimuli of interest or questions of interest. In some methods, brain maps are generated and compared. Also disclosed are systems for detecting deception by measuring brain activity.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether brain activity of a human subject in response to a stimulus of interest is characteristic of a state of interest, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a stimulus of interest;

(b) measuring brain activity of said subject in response to said stimulus during a period of interest;

(c) comparing the brain activity in at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest with a predetermined control level of activity; and

(d) determining whether the brain activity in said at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest is characteristic of said state of interest based upon said comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said stimulus is selected from the group consisting of a sound, a picture, an aurally-presented question and a visually-presented question.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said state of interest is either a truthful state or a deceptive state.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3 wherein said step of comparing comprises generating a first brain map of activity prior to or after said period of interest, generating a second brain map of activity during said period of interest, and generating a third brain map representing the difference between said first brain map and said second brain map.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said third brain map includes data representing values of statistical significance or probabilities.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said control level of activity is a level which is characteristic of either a truthful response or a deceptive response by a group of individuals.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said control level of activity is a level which is not characteristic of either a truthful response or a deceptive response by a group of individuals.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said control level of activity is a level which is characteristic of either a truthful response or a deceptive response to control questions by said subject.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said control level of activity is a level which is not characteristic of either a truthful response or a deceptive response to control questions by said subject.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said step of comparing comprises scaling said brain activity in said at least one brain region relative to brain activity which is characteristic of a control response by said subject.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said control response is selected from the group consisting of a motor, auditory, visual and pain response.

13. The method of any one of claims 6-12 wherein said step of comparing comprises generating a first brain map of activity prior to or after said period of interest, generating a second brain map of activity during said period of interest, and generating a third brain map representing the difference between said first brain map and said second brain map.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said third brain map includes data representing values of statistical significance or probabilities.

18. The method of any one of claims 1-15 wherein brain activity of said subject is measured by a method selected from the group consisting of fMRI, BOLD fMRI, PET, SPECT, EEG, MEG, optical tomography and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein brain activity of said subject is measured by fMRI or BOLD fMRI.

20. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said at least one brain region is selected from the group of brain regions consisting of:

prefrontal cortex, limbic cortex, anterior cruciate, temporal cortex, parietal cortex, caudate, hypothalamus and cerebellum.

21. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said at least one brain region is selected from the group of brain regions consisting of:

orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, middle temporal cortex, insula, cuneus, post-central gyrus, pre-central gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and cerebellum.

22. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said at least one brain region is selected from the group of brain regions consisting of:

right anterior cingulate cortex, right inferior frontal cortex, right orbitofrontal cortex, left middle temporal cortex and right middle frontal cortex.

23. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said at least one brain region is selected from the group of brain regions consisting of:

right orbitofrontal cortex and right anterior cingulate cortex.

24. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said at least one brain region is selected from a group of brain regions identified in a control group of individuals as exhibiting a statistically significant difference in brain activity when measured during truthful responses and when measured during deceptive responses.

25. The method of claim 20 or 24 wherein said group of brain regions comprises at least two brains region selected from the group consisting of:

orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, middle temporal cortex, insula, cuneus, post-central gyrus, pre-central gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and cerebellum.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said control group of individuals is matched for at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of:

sex, age, medical/psychiatric condition, handedness, race, language skills, health, socioeconomic status, and MMPI profile.

27. The method of any one of claims 1-19 further comprising the step of:

assigning a probability that said subject is being deceptive.

28. The method of any one of claims 1-19 further comprising the step of:

assigning a range of probabilities that said subject is being deceptive.

29. The method of any one of claims 1-19 further comprising the steps of:

measuring a physiological indicator at least once during said period of interest, wherein said indicator is selected from the group consisting of SCR, heart rate and blood pressure; and

determining whether said indicator when measured during said period of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response.

30. The method of any one of claims 1-19 further comprising the steps of:

(1) measuring SCR of said subject during at least a portion of said period of interest;

(2) comparing said SCR during said period of interest with a predetermined control SCR; and

(3) determining whether said SCR during said period of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response based upon said comparison.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein measuring said SCR of said subject further comprises the steps of:

attaching at least one pair of SCR electrodes to an area of said subject'"'"'s skin; and

maintaining substantially constant contact between said electrode and said area of said subject'"'"'s skin.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein measuring said SCR of said subject further comprises the step of:

transmitting signals from said SCR electrode to a system processor via a shielded cable.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein measuring said SCR of said subject further comprises the step of:

transmitting signals from said SCR electrode through a low-pass filter to a system processor to reduce interference.

34. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of storing said SCR measurements on an electronic data storage medium.

35. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs multiple times during said period of interest.

38. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once per second.

39. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once every two seconds.

40. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once every three seconds.

41. The method of claim 19 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 1 Tesla.

42. The method of claim 19 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 2 Tesla.

43. The method of claim 19 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 3 Tesla.

44. The method of any one of claims 1-19, further comprising the step of storing said brain activity measurements on an electronic data storage medium.

45. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said response includes pressing a button or raising a finger.

46. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said response corresponds to an affirmative or negative response.

47. The method of any one of claims 1-19 wherein said response is measured within 5 seconds of said question or stimulus.

48. The method of any one of claims 6-19 wherein said question or stimulus is aurally-presented or visually presented.

6. A method for determining whether brain activity of a human subject during a response to a question of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response, comprising the steps of:

(a) asking said subject at least one question of interest, allowing said subject to provide a response of interest during a period of interest, wherein it is not known beforehand whether said response of interest is truthful or deceptive, and measuring brain activity of said subject during said period of interest;

(b) comparing the brain activity in at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest with a predetermined control level of activity; and

(c) determining whether the brain activity in said at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response based upon said comparison.

15. A method for determining whether brain activity during a response of a human subject to a question of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response, comprising the steps of:

(a) asking said subject at least one truthful control question, allowing said subject to provide a response which is known to be a truthful response, and measuring brain activity of said subject during a truthful control period;

(b) asking said subject at least one deceptive control question, allowing said subject to provide a response which is known to be a deceptive response, and measuring brain activity of said subject during a deceptive control period;

(c) asking said subject at least one question of interest, allowing said subject to provide a response of interest during a period of interest, wherein it is not known beforehand whether said response of interest is truthful or deceptive, and measuring brain activity of said subject during said period of interest;

(d) identifying at least one brain region exhibiting a statistically significant difference in brain activity in said subject when measured during said truthful control period and when measured during said deceptive control period;

(e) comparing brain activity in said at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest with brain activity during at least one of said truthful control period and said deceptive control period; and

(f) determining whether brain activity in said at least one brain region when measured during said period of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response based upon said comparison.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of comparing comprises generating a first brain map of activity during said period of interest, generating at least a second brain map of activity during at least one of said truthful control period and said deceptive control period, and generating at least a third brain map representing the difference between said first brain map and said second brain map.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said third brain map includes data representing values of statistical significance or probabilities.

36. The method of any one of claims 15-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs multiple times during said truthful control period.

37. The method of any one of claims 15-19 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs multiple times during said deceptive control period.

49. A system for determining whether brain activity of a human subject during a response to a question of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response, comprising:

(a) means for providing a stimulus of interest;

(b) a brain activity measuring device;

(c) a response measuring device; and

(c) a system processor connected to said means for providing a stimulus, said brain activity measuring device and said response measuring device for receiving and processing data therefrom, and for statistically analyzing said data.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein said means for providing a stimulus comprises a screen which presents visual stimuli.

51. The system of claim 49 wherein said response measuring device comprises at least one switch/button which is finger-activated by said subject.

53. The system of any one of claims 49-52 wherein said brain activity measuring device is selected from the group consisting of an fMRI, BOLD fMRI, PET, SPECT, EEG, MEG and DOT device.

55. The system of any one of claims 49-54 wherein said brain activity measuring device measures brain activity in at least one brain region selected from the group consisting of:

right anterior cingulate cortex, right inferior frontal cortex, right orbitofrontal cortex, left middle temporal cortex and right middle frontal cortex.

60. The system of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once per second.

61. The system of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once every two seconds.

62. The system of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the step of measuring brain activity of said subject occurs at least once every three seconds.

63. The method of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 1 Tesla.

64. The method of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 2 Tesla.

65. The method of any one of claims 49-55 wherein the brain activity of said subject is measured by an MRI device using a field strength of at least 3 Tesla.

52. A system for determining whether brain activity of a human subject during a response to a question of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response, comprising:

(a) a brain activity measuring device;

(b) a SCR measuring device;

(c) a system processor connected to said brain activity measuring device and said SCR measuring device for receiving and processing data therefrom; and

(d) a shielded data cable for transmitting data from said SCR measuring device to said system processor.

56. The system of any one of claims 52-55 wherein said SCR measuring device further comprises a device for maintaining substantially constant contact between an SCR electrode and an area of said subject'"'"'s skin.

57. The system of any one of claims 52-55 wherein said system processor is adapted to receive brain activity data from said brain activity measuring device and to receive SCR data from the SCR measuring device, and is programmed to determine whether said brain activity of said subject during said response to said question of interest is characteristic of a truthful or a deceptive response.

58. The system of any one of claims 52-55 wherein said system processor is adapted to receive brain activity data from said brain activity measuring device and to receive SCR data from the SCR measuring device, and to store said data on an electronic data storage medium.

59. The system of any one of claims 52-55 further comprising a partition for a doorway of a shielded room containing said magnetic resonance imaging device comprising:

a panel comprising an electrically conductive material and having two sides and a periphery substantially corresponding in shape to said doorway;

one or more electrically conductive contacts located at one or more portions of said periphery to provide an electrical contact between said panel and said doorway;

a first electrical connector on a first side of said panel for connection to said shielded cable; and

a second electrical connector on a second side of said panel for connection to said system processor;

wherein said first and second electrical connectors are coupled to each other and whereby data can be transmitted from said first side to said second side of said panel.

54. A system for measuring the SCR of a human subject during magnetic resonance imaging comprising the system of claim S05 wherein said brain activity measuring device is a magnetic resonance imaging device.

66. A partition for the doorway of a shielded room containing a brain imaging device comprising:

a panel comprising an electrically conductive material and having two sides and a periphery substantially corresponding in shape to said doorway;

one or more electrically conductive contacts located at one or more portions of said periphery to provide an electrical contact between said panel and said doorway;

a first electrical connector on a first side of said panel; and

a second electrical connector on a second side of said panel;

wherein said first and second electrical connectors are coupled to each other and whereby data can be transmitted from said first side to said second side of said panel.