Sex, Lies, and Brain Scans: How fMRI Reveals What Really Goes on in Our Minds

by Barbara J. Sahakian, Julia Gottwald

The recent explosion of neuroscience techniques has proved to be game changing in terms of understanding the healthy brain, and in the development of neuropsychiatric treatments. One of the key techniques available to us is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which allows us to examine the human brain non-invasively, and observe brain activity in real time. Through fMRI, we are beginning to build a deeper understanding of our thoughts, motivations, and behaviours. Recent reports that some patients who have all indications of being in a persistent vegetative state actually show conscious awareness, and were able to communicate with researchers, demonstrate perhaps the most remarkable and dramatic use of fMRI. But this is just the most striking of a number of areas in which fMRI is being used to 'read minds', albeit in a very limited way.

As neuroscientists unravel the regions of the brain involved in reward and motivation, and in romantic love, we are likely to develop the capacity to influence responses such as love using drugs. fMRI studies have also been used to indicate that many people who would not regard themselves as racist show a racial bias in their emotional responses to faces of another racial group. Meanwhile, the reliability of fMRI as a lie detector in murder cases is being debated - what if the individual simply believes, falsely, that he or she committed a murder?

Sex, Lies, and Brain Scans takes readers beyond the media headlines. Barbara J. Sahakian and Julia Gottwald consider what the technique of fMRI entails, and what information it can give us, showing which applications are possible today, and which ones are science fiction. They also consider the important ethical questions these techniques raise. Should individuals applying for jobs as teachers or judges be screened for unconscious racial bias? What if the manipulation of love using 'love potions' was misused for economic or military ends? How far will we allow neuroscience to go? It is time to make up our minds.

Genres: Science, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Brain, Psychology, Popular Science

176 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2017

Reviews

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short essay full of interesting information about the development of brain Imaging and brain scans. The most important parte, in my opinion, is not when will we be able to read some other person's mind, but how could we improve techniques and medication for people who had disease located in the brain: from Parkinson to depression the the fMRI could be so useful to improve what we already know and to change what is actually not working.

Breve saggio pieno di interessanti informazioni riguardanti le tecniche di imaging e di risonanza magnetica funzionale. La parte piú interessante per me, non é stata quella riguardante l'eventuale utilizzo di queste tecniche per conoscere quello che l'altro sta pensando, o se sta mentendo etc.etc. ma piuttosto quella riguardante l'utilizzo di questi strumenti per migliorare farmaci od operazioni chirurgiche su persone che hanno malattie localizzate nel cervello. Dal Parkinson alla depressione la fMRI potrebbe apportare modifiche fondamentali a quello che giá sappiamo e cambiare trattamenti che non stanno funzionando.

[Esther Pyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting insight into neuroscience and the ways it can potentially affect our lives, from ethical dilemmas, racial bias, lying, neuromarketing and more.
A good introduction that includes a wide range of very interesting topics and studies using fMRI scanning.

For me, it raised a lot of questions and discussion topics.

[CORSAK fan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way this book took what can quickly turn into a complex topic, neuroscience, and boils it down to something easily digestible and understandable. It brings up concerns about ethics and covers topics like marketing, the legal applications of brain scans, social interactions, and more. Very well put-together and a very interesting read for sure.

[Chloë · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great introduction into the applications of neuroscience for those that have little to no background in the field.

[Sayantan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool, concise contents. Good, easy-to-understand introduction. Each chapter could be spun off as a black mirror episode.

Writing style is meh and repetative...thankfully the book is pretty short

[Dhanya Narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated, mesmerised and humbled by neurology as a science. Perhaps, one straight forward reason for my awe of Medical Genetics is that, a good percentage of patients I see regularly in Genetics clinic have neurological symptoms which I try to interpret and evaluate. I remember what I read in a book by Dr VS Ramachandran about human brain being an interesting organ because it is the only organ which is capable of thinking about its own origin. The thought and the thinker are the same when it comes to brain. When I saw this title, I didn’t have to think twice to order because it dealt with a fascinating arena in neuroscience. The authors, Barbara J Sahakian and Julia Gottwald are neuroscientists in University of Cambridge and experts in neuro- ethics, neuropsychiatry and neuroimaging. They have attempted to simplify the concept of functional MRI so that non medical people can also read and comprehend the concepts behind the usage of functional MRI in discerning the functions of human brain. The book also gives an idea about the prospects of using functional MRI in detecting and predicting crime and usage of the same as evidence in a court of law. The authors provide a brief overview of the ethical issues that can emerge as the popularity of functional MRI increases. The content of the book is intriguing for any one interested in understanding the newer frontiers in neuroscience.The possibilities of using functional MRI and the potential pitfalls are well described in this book. Modification in narration style would have made this book public friendly and readable. The book ends with a note that with advances in technology more benefits of functional MRI can be reaped.

[Juraj Púchlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stručná, faktografická, ale suchopárna knižka, ktorá má rozsah dizertačnej práce. Zároveň ale otvára oči tým, v ktorých slová „neuromarketing“ alebo „fMRI“ vyvolávajú dojem zásadných, prelomových štúdií, ktoré celé odvetvia psychológie, neurológie a výskumu mozgu menia od základov. Autorky skepticky, ale racionálne vymenúvajú nedostatky mnohých chronicky známych štúdií, typu marshmellow test alebo „vyčerpanie vôle“. Súhrn aktuálnych poznatkov ukazuje, že tieto štúdie, ktoré sú často citované, majú zjavné slabiny a ich opakovanie aj s využitým súčasných techník typu fMRI (funkčná magnetická rezonancia) nepreukazuje tak jednoznačné závery. Samotné fMRI sa vykonáva v laboratórnych podmienkach, drahým prístrojom, takmer v nehybnej polohe a výsledky musí interpretovať tím expertov. Čiže fMRI nie je zlatý grál metód výskumu mozgu. Mozog je navyše ak komplexný, že morálka, predsudky, rozhodovanie, klamanie, sebaovládanie a ďalšie predmety výskumu neaktivujú len špecifické oblasti mozgu. Vplyv na výsledky majú aj kontext, nálada, fyzické zdravie a ďalšie faktory. Pozitívne je, že výskum už dnes pomáha pri liečbe neurologických a psychologických porúch. Negatívne, že môže v budúcnosti vyvolať kopec etických otázok, od podprahového ovplyvňovania nakupujúcich až po preventívne zatýkanie psychopatov, ktorí ešte nič nespáchali.

[Carlos Vasconcelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but for a very specific public indeed.

[Liam Kielt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written and informative. It is easy enough for a layman to understand and at no point did I feel overwhelmed by the jargon. Incredibly thought provoking too. Highly recommended.