Ayahito Ito

The role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in deception when remembering neutral and emotional events

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of deception while remembering neutral events and emotional events. Before fMRI, subjects were presented with a series of neutral and emotional pictures and were asked to rate each picture for arousal. During fMRI, subjects were presented with the studied and nonstudied pictures and were asked to make an honest recognition judgment in response to half of the pictures and a dishonest response to the remaining half. We found that deception pertaining to the memory of neutral pictures was associated with increased activity in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex. We also found that deception while remembering emotional pictures was associated with increased activity in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. An overlapping activation between the two types of deception was found in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our results indicate that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with the executive aspects of deception, regardless of the emotional valence of memory content.

The contribution of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to the preparation for deception and truth-telling.

Recent neuroimaging evidence suggests that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with creating deceptive responses. However, the neural basis of the preparatory processes that create deception has yet to be explored. Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that the preparation for a certain task activates brain areas relevant to the execution of that task, leading to the question of whether dorsolateral prefrontal activity is observed during the preparation for deception. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine whether dorsolateral prefrontal activity, which increases during the execution of deception compared with the execution of truth-telling, also increases during the preparation for deception compared with the preparation for truth-telling. Our data show that the execution of deception was associated with increased activity in several brain regions, including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, compared with truth-telling, confirming the contribution of this region to the production of deceptive responses. The results also reveal that the preparations for both deception and truth-telling were associated with increased activity in certain brain regions, including the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that the preparations for truth-telling and deception make similar demands on the brain and that the dorsolateral prefrontal activity identified in the preparation phase is associated with general preparatory processes, regardless of whether one is telling a lie or the truth.

The neural basis of dishonest decisions that serve to harm or help the target

We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to elucidate the neurocognitive mechanisms of harmful and helpful dishonest decisions. During scanning, the subjects read scenarios concerning events that could occur in real-life situations and were asked to decide whether to tell a lie as though they were experiencing those events. Half of the scenarios consisted of harmful stories in which the dishonest decisions could be regarded as bad lies, and the other half consisted of helpful stories in which the dishonest decisions could be regarded as good lies. In contrast to the control decision-making task, we found that the decision-making tasks that involved honesty or dishonesty recruited a network of brain regions that included the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In the harmful stories, the right temporoparietal junction and the right medial frontal cortex were activated when the subjects made dishonest decisions compared with honest decisions. No region discriminated between the honest and dishonest decisions made in the helpful stories. These preliminary findings suggest that the neural basis of dishonest decisions is modulated by whether the lying serves to harm or help the target.

Dissociable neural systems for moral judgment of anti- and pro-social lying.

Pro-social lying, which serves to benefit listeners, is considered more socially and morally acceptable than anti-social lying, which serves to harm listeners. However, it is still unclear whether the neural mechanisms underlying the moral judgment of pro-social lying differ from those underlying the moral judgment of anti-social lying. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural activities associated with moral judgment in anti- and pro-social lying. During fMRI scanning, subjects were provided with scenarios describing a protagonists anti- and pro-social lying and were then asked to judge whether the protagonists act was morally appropriate. The behavioral data showed that anti-social lying was mostly judged to be morally inappropriate and that pro-social lying was mainly judged to be morally appropriate. The functional imaging data revealed dissociable neural systems for moral judgment in anti- and pro-social lying. The anti-social lying, which was judged to be morally inappropriate, was associated with increased activity in the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex, right middle frontal gyrus, right precuneus/posterior cingulate gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus, and bilateral temporoparietal junction when compared with the control condition. The pro-social lying, which was judged to be morally appropriate, was associated with increased activity in the right middle temporal gyrus, right supramarginal gyrus, and the left middle cingulate gyrus when compared with the control condition. No overlapping activity was observed during the moral judgment of anti- and pro-social lying. Our data suggest that cognitive and neural processes for the moral judgment of lying are modulated by whether the lie serves to harm or benefit listeners.

Neural activity associated with enhanced facial attractiveness by cosmetics use

Previous psychological studies have shown that make-up enhances facial attractiveness. Although neuroimaging evidence indicates that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) shows greater activity for faces of attractive people than for those of unattractive people, there is no direct evidence that the OFC also shows greater activity for the face of an individual wearing make-up than for the same face without make-up. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated neural activity while subjects viewed 144 photographs of the same faces with and without make-up (48 with make-up, 48 without make-up, and 48 scrambled photographs) and assigned these faces an attractiveness rating. The behavioral data showed that the faces with make-up were rated as more attractive than those without make-up. The imaging data revealed that the left OFC and the right hippocampus showed greater activity for faces with make-up than for those without make-up. Furthermore, the activities of the right anterior cingulate cortex, left hippocampus, and left OFC increased with increasing facial attractiveness resulting from cosmetics use. These results provide direct evidence of the neural underpinnings of cosmetically enhanced facial attractiveness.

Reduced orbitofrontal cortical volume is associated with interdependent self-construal

Significance Recent work in cultural neuroscience suggests that sociocultural processes are reciprocally influenced by neural mechanisms that are recruited to support social behaviors. In particular, interdependent orientations (which include a commitment to duties and obligations, and prosocial tendencies) require both the suspension of self-interest and cognitive attunement to social surroundings. Dominant theoretical perspectives suggest that this orientation is achieved through active inhibitory control of egoism. Our results highlight an alternative pathway wherein the suspension of self-interest is achieved through reduced cortical volumes for personal incentives and goals. This reduced cortical volume is linked to interdependence especially for those who are cognitively attuned to the surrounding context. Therefore interdependent tendencies may be automatic and supported by structurally realized inhibition of egoism. Interdependent self-construal refers to a view of the self as embedded in relationships with others. Prior work suggests that this construal is linked to a strong value placed on social obligations and duties. Interdependent people are therefore cognitively attuned to others and various social events in their surroundings while down-regulating their personal goals. In the present work, we examined whether structural properties of the brain predict interdependent self-construal. We performed a structural magnetic resonance imaging on 135 Japanese young adults while assessing (i) independent and interdependent self-construals and (ii) the degree to which individuals form vivid images of external objects (object imagery). The cortical volume of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (a core cortical region responsible for value-based decisionmaking and, thus, inherently involved in personal goals and desires) inversely predicted interdependent self-construal. Further analysis found that the highest level of interdependent self-construal is achieved when those who are relatively low in the OFC volume are simultaneously high in object imagery, consistent with previous evidence that interdependence, as realized via obligation and duty, requires both the reduced self-interest and vigilant cognitive attunement to environmental context.

Neural basis of pleasant and unpleasant emotions induced by social reputation.

We used positron emission tomography to identify brain regions involved in the processing of emotions induced by social reputation from others. During positron emission tomographic scanning, individuals were presented with either a positive or a negative social reputation combined with face photographs of persons whom the individuals either liked or disliked. Behavioral results revealed that a positive reputation led to a higher pleasantness score than a negative reputation. Imaging data demonstrated that the orbitofrontal cortex was activated with positive reputations relative to negative reputations, and that the amygdala was activated with negative reputations relative to positive reputations. These findings suggest that pleasant and unpleasant emotions induced by positive and negative social reputations from others are associated with activity in different brain regions.

Differential activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex between male and female givers of social reputation

Accumulating evidence has shown the profound influence of social reputation on human behavior and has implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in representing subjective values induced by social interaction. However, little is known regarding how the vmPFC encodes subjective pleasantness induced by social reputation received from others. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how the vmPFC in males and females encodes the subjective pleasantness of social reputation received from the same gender and from the opposite gender. Behavioral data showed that positive reputation was perceived to be more pleasant than negative reputation. Intriguingly, both male and female subjects showed greater differences in the pleasantness scores between the positive reputation condition and the negative reputation condition from females than between positive and negative reputations from males. Imaging data revealed that the left vmPFC specifically contributed to the processing of positive reputation. The activity patterns of the vmPFC corresponded to the gender differences in behavior during the processing of social reputation. These results indicate that the vmPFC plays a role in representing the subjective value of positive social reputation and that this region might be a final computational site in a stream of value-based decision-making processes.

Gender differences in ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity associated with valuation of faces

Psychological studies have indicated that males exhibit stronger preferences for physical attributes in the opposite gender, such as facial attractiveness, than females. However, whether gender differences in mate preference originate from differential brain activity remains unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the patterns of brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a region critical for the valuation of faces, in response to elderly male, elderly female, young male, and young female faces. During fMRI, male and female subjects were presented with a face and asked to rate its pleasantness. Following fMRI, the subjects were presented with pairs of faces and asked to select the face that they preferred. We analyzed the vmPFC activity during the pleasantness-rating task according to the gender of the face stimulus (male and female) and the age of the face stimulus (elderly and young). Consistent with the results of previous studies, the vmPFC activity parametrically coded the subjective value of faces. Importantly, the vmPFC activity was sensitive to physical attributes, such as the youthfulness and gender of the faces, only in the male subjects. These findings provide a possible neural explanation for gender differences in mate preference.

Medial temporal lobe activity associated with the successful retrieval of destination memory

Destination memory is the process of remembering to whom we tell particular things. Although recent behavioral studies have clarified the cognitive nature of destination memory, the neural mechanisms underlying destination memory retrieval remain unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine whether the medial temporal lobe (MTL), a structure that has been implicated in recollection-based memory, is activated during the successful retrieval of destination information. During a study phase before fMRI scanning, the subjects told a series of facts to either a woman or a man. During fMRI scanning, the subjects were asked to judge whether each fact presented was old or new, and if they judged it as old, to indicate, including a confidence rating (high or low), whether the subjects had told that fact to either a man or a woman. We found that successful destination retrieval, when compared to failed destination retrieval, was associated with increased activity in the parahippocampal gyrus. We also found that the confidence level (high vs. low) for destination memory retrieval was associated with increased activity in another (posterior) region of the parahippocampal gyrus. The present study suggests that the successful retrieval of destination information depends highly on MTL-mediated recollection processes.