• AI
  • Molecular Imaging
  • CT
  • X-Ray
  • Ultrasound
  • MRI
  • Facility Management
  • Mammography

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.

Related Videos
Improving the Quality of Breast MRI Acquisition and Processing
Can Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS) Technology Provide a Viable Alternative to X-Rays for Aortic Procedures?
Does Initial CCTA Provide the Best Assessment of Stable Chest Pain?
Making the Case for Intravascular Ultrasound Use in Peripheral Vascular Interventions
Can Diffusion Microstructural Imaging Provide Insights into Long Covid Beyond Conventional MRI?
Assessing the Impact of Radiology Workforce Shortages in Rural Communities
Emerging MRI and PET Research Reveals Link Between Visceral Abdominal Fat and Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
Reimbursement Challenges in Radiology: An Interview with Richard Heller, MD
Nina Kottler, MD, MS
The Executive Order on AI: Promising Development for Radiology or ‘HIPAA for AI’?
Related Content
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.