Discoveries of neuroscience are a natural source of discourse among scientists and have been disseminated to the nonscientific community through different kinds of media for at least a century. Historically, as news of findings has traveled between communities, it has elicited both expected and unusual reactions. What scientific landmarks in brain imaging, specifically, have achieved a place in the public eye? What should the justice system know about these capabilities? In the context of lie detection, well known methods such as polygraphy have provided measures of the emotional component (such as stress and mood) of truth and lie telling as revealed by physiologic changes in heart rate, respiration and skin conductance. Newer methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), provide measurements of metabolic activity (blood flow and oxygenation) related more to the cognition underlying these behaviors. Although such contemporary methods have brought answers to the cognitive “if” question about lying (that is if a person is lying, which is a measure of sensitivity) closer to reliability than ever before, neither the older nor newer methods can reveal the answer to the “what” question (that is, what a person is lying about, a measure of specificity), or to motivation or culpability. Drawing on examples of past challenges at the crossroads of neuroscience, public policy and law, in this presentation I will explore dialectical forces surrounding new advances in the pursuit of a neural signature for lying and deception, and the importance of critical proactive thinking about their place in the legal system and our society.

Judy Illes is a Senior Research Scholar and Director of the Program in Neuroethics at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, with a joint appointment between the Department of Medicine and the Department of Radiology. Dr. Illes received her B.A. from Brandeis University in Massachusetts in Physiological Psychology (1979), and an M.A. in Physiological Psychology from McGill University (1983) in Montreal, Canada. In 1987, Dr. Illes received her doctorate in Hearing and Speech Sciences from Stanford University, with a specialization in Experimental Neuropsychology. Both during and following her Stanford training, Dr. Illes was a Scientist at EEG Systems Laboratory (EEGSL, a San Francisco based, independent research laboratory) and SAM Technology (EEGSL's for-profit counterpart) where she pursued her research interests in human neuroimaging, language and cognition.

Dr. Illes returned to Stanford University in 1991 to help build the research enterprise in imaging sciences in the Department of Radiology. As Director of Strategic Research Development, she was instrumental in bringing the Department to a position of prominence in the international research community. She also led the effort to develop a faculty mentoring program in Radiology that now serves as a model for other similar programs nationally. Dr. Illes also co-founded the Stanford Brain Research Center (SBRC), and served as the SBRC's first Executive Director between 1998 and 2001.
Today, at a new juncture in her career path, Dr. Illes leads a strong research team devoted to issues at the intersection of medical imaging and biomedical ethics, with a particular focus the new field of neuroethics (Neuroethics Imaging Group). These include ethical, social and legal challenges presented by advanced neurofunctional imaging capabilities, the emergence of cognitive enhancement neurotechnologies and pharmacology (New York Academy of Sciences) , self-referral to health care and imaging services, incidental findings, and fetal MRI. A new initiative in molecular imaging is under development. Her work is supported by The Greenwall Foundation, The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NINDS), the New York Academy of Sciences, and The Children's Health Initiative.

Dr. Illes is the author of a book on strategic research development in the brain and behavioral sciences, and an author on many peer-reviewed publications in the areas of neuroimaging, mentoring and strategic program development. She has provided grant review service for NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs, peer reviews for several journals, and is the Special Guest Editor of Topics of Magnetic Resonance Imaging , "Emerging Ethical Challenges in MR Imaging", and Brain and Cognition , "Ethical Challenges in Advanced Neuroimaging." Her new book, An Anthology in 21st Century Neuroethics, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
Dr. Illes is also a member of the Internal Advisory Board for the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and co-Chair of the new Committee on Women in Neuroscience for the Society for Neuroscience (SFN).