Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Brain abnormalities linked to pathological lying
ABC news -- Rueters -- health ^ | 10-17-05 | not disclosed

Posted on 10/17/2005 12:52:15 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

Brain abnormalities linked to pathological lying Reuters

Oct 17, 2005 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pathological liars may have structural abnormalities in their brains, a new study suggests.

Dr. Adrian Raine and Yaling Yang of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and colleagues found that individuals who habitually lied and cheated had less gray matter and more white matter in their prefrontal cortex than normal people. They report their findings in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Past studies have found that the prefrontal cortex shows heightened activity when normal people lie, and it is believed to be involved in both learning moral behavior and feeling remorse.

Because gray matter consists of brain cells, while white matter forms the "wiring" or connections between these cells, pathological liars may have more capacity to lie and fewer moral restraints, the authors suggest.

"They've got the equipment to lie, and they don't have the disinhibition that the rest of us have in telling the big whoppers," Raine said in a press release accompanying the study.

The researchers used a series of psychological tests and interviews in a group of volunteers to identify 12 pathological liars, 16 people with antisocial personality disorder but no history of lying, and 21 normal people. They then examined the brains of all study participants using magnetic resonance imaging.

Liars had 26 percent more white matter in their prefrontal cortex than people with antisocial personality disorder, and 22 percent more than normal people. But they had 14 percent less gray matter than normal individuals.

Interestingly, the researchers note, autistic people — who are known to have difficulty lying — show a shift in gray-to-white matter ratio opposite to that seen among liars in the current study.

"Although autism is a complex condition and cannot be taken as a model for lying, these results on autistic children, combined with the prior fMRI findings on lying in normal controls, converge with current findings on adult liars suggesting that the prefrontal cortex is centrally involved in the capacity to lie," the authors write.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: autism; brain; clinton; d; disorders; lying; pathology
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-65 next last

1 posted on 10/17/2005 12:52:16 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; secret garden

why am i not surprised to hear this....


2 posted on 10/17/2005 12:53:00 PM PDT by xsmommy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dead; Incorrigible; after dark

Autism bump. Please ping others.


3 posted on 10/17/2005 12:53:15 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Like John Lovitz used to say, "...and I'm married to Morgan Fairchild, yeah, that's the ticket!"


4 posted on 10/17/2005 12:53:37 PM PDT by Sax
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

I always wondered what that white spot on my ex-wife's head was...


5 posted on 10/17/2005 12:53:57 PM PDT by wvobiwan (Liberal Slogan: "News maganizes don't kill people, Muslims do." - Ann Coulter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Insert obligatory jokes about ABC/Reuters here.


6 posted on 10/17/2005 12:53:58 PM PDT by Gideon7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

I'm not sure I believe these people. If you can believe that...


7 posted on 10/17/2005 12:54:25 PM PDT by isthisnickcool (Don't get stuck on stupid - Lt. General Honore)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

I was just talking about this last week.


8 posted on 10/17/2005 12:55:05 PM PDT by steveo (Member: Fathers Against Rude Television)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Bill Klintroon's brain must look like a loofa sponge.........


9 posted on 10/17/2005 12:56:06 PM PDT by Red Badger (In life, you don't get what you deserve. You get what you settle for...........)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

I was certain there would be a picture of Clinton accompanying this article.


10 posted on 10/17/2005 12:56:23 PM PDT by flada (They don't have meetings about rainbows.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gideon7

I was thinking about RAT politicians, but the idea is the same.


11 posted on 10/17/2005 12:56:27 PM PDT by white trash redneck (Everything I needed to know about Islam I learned on 9-11-01.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic
Liars had 26 percent more white matter in their prefrontal cortex than people with antisocial personality disorder, and 22 percent more than normal people.

So this explains Paul Begala's giant forehead.

12 posted on 10/17/2005 12:56:54 PM PDT by A message ( Being a "Progressive" means never having to be truthful to yourself)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: xsmommy
>why am i not surprised to hear this....

I am not surprised
to hear this, because it's my
research! I did it,

and they ripped me off!
Yeah. That's it. I did the work.
Those losers stole it . . .

13 posted on 10/17/2005 12:57:04 PM PDT by theFIRMbss
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Need to send this to a friend who's married to a pathological liar.


14 posted on 10/17/2005 12:58:03 PM PDT by lilylangtree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic


"There is absolutely no brain abnormality hiding under my hat!"

15 posted on 10/17/2005 12:58:09 PM PDT by eastsider
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

Definitely. Ping the others. Yes, definitely.


16 posted on 10/17/2005 12:58:41 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

I have a relative who lies like a rug.
Maybe this explains it. I guess eventually
evil will be explained away completely
by science.


17 posted on 10/17/2005 12:59:53 PM PDT by Sabatier
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gideon7

Should of been titled "How Libs Think".


18 posted on 10/17/2005 1:00:15 PM PDT by Texas WOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: eastsider

MRI the Klintoons!!!!!!


19 posted on 10/17/2005 1:00:20 PM PDT by TXBSAFH (Anytime a Politico says, "Trust Me." I put my hand on my wallet and slowly back away.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

12, 16, and 21.
Not a large sampling.


20 posted on 10/17/2005 1:00:27 PM PDT by onyx ((Vicksburg, MS) North is a direction. South is a way of life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-65 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson