Brain believes its false memories

Article

A radiologist participating in a study is asked to differentiate between two groups of images. She is told that half contain cancerous lesions and half do not. The methodology of the study may already be flawed because the brain often creates false memories after a subject hears leading questions or directions.

A radiologist participating in a study is asked to differentiate between two groups of images. She is told that half contain cancerous lesions and half do not. The methodology of the study may already be flawed because the brain often creates false memories after a subject hears leading questions or directions.

Brian Gonsalves, Ph.D., and colleagues at Northwestern University used functional MRI to determine that some of the same brain areas are involved when memories of perceived or imagined objects are stored (Psychol Sci. 2004:15[10]:655-60).

Eleven volunteers underwent fMRI while they visualized objects based on researchers' prompts. Half the words were accompanied by a corresponding photo, the other half by a blank rectangle.

Subjects then were asked to recall whether they had seen a photo or a blank card. The true memory rate was 74% and false memory, 27%. The rate of false alarms (new items introduced) was 6%. False memories, in particular, activated the precuneus and inferior parietal regions of the cerebral cortex.

Perhaps in the future, intra- and interobserver variability can be explained simply as the brain doing what it does naturally.

Recent Videos
Improving Access to Nuclear Imaging: An Interview with SNMMI President Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD
SNMMI: 18F-Piflufolastat PSMA PET/CT Offers High PPV for Local PCa Recurrence Regardless of PSA Level
SNMMI: NIH Researcher Discusses Potential of 18F-Fluciclovine for Multiple Myeloma Detection
SNMMI: What Tau PET Findings May Reveal About Modifiable Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease
Emerging Insights on the Use of FES PET for Women with Lobular Breast Cancer
Can Generative AI Reinvent Radiology Reporting?: An Interview with Samir Abboud, MD
Mammography Study Reveals Over Sixfold Higher Risk of Advanced Cancer Presentation with Symptom-Detected Cancers
Combining Advances in Computed Tomography Angiography with AI to Enhance Preventive Care
Study: MRI-Based AI Enhances Detection of Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Prostate Cancer
What New Research Reveals About the Impact of AI and DBT Screening: An Interview with Manisha Bahl, MD
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.