The Activity of the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus and the Error Detection Brain Mechanism During Deception Under Conditions of Different Monetary Benefit

Abstract

This research is aimed at investigating the characteristics of activity of brain areas that underlie action execution and are modulated by the error detection mechanism under conditions of various potential monetary benefits of manipulative truthful and false actions. It is shown that the implementation of potentially less profitable deceptive actions is associated with a relatively higher level of functional activity of the inferior frontal gyrus, a structure that receives information from structures associated with the error detection mechanism. This effect was revealed in experimental conditions with less reinforced deceptive actions, both in comparison with relatively more rewarded deception, and with manipulative truthful actions, regardless of their reward. Moreover, the increase in the profit of deceptive actions is accompanied by the disappearance of a statistically significant difference in the activity of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which has been observed in the comparison of equally low profitable truthful and false actions. These results indicate a possible mechanism of expected monetary benefit influence on the manipulative decision to lie, according to which, the prefrontal structures underlying control of behavior show less susceptibility to the involvement of the error detection mechanism in maintaining deceptive actions.