Neural correlates of feigned hearing loss: an fMRI study

Abstract

Identifying when a person truly has or has not heard a sound can be challenging, particularly when using conventional behavioural measures of hearing on an individual who is trying to feign a hearing loss. Can we use alternative, cortical-based procedures to detect when someone is feigning a hearing loss? To answer this question, we asked 15 adult participants to respond to pure tones and simple words correctly, incorrectly, randomly, or with the intent to feign a hearing loss while undergoing fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)recording. We observed more activity in the prefrontal cortices as measured by fMRI, and delayed behavioural response times, when these participants feigned a hearing loss or responded randomly versus when they responded correctly or incorrectly. Feigning compared to correct or incorrect trials for the tone listening task showed significantly greater activations of the right prefrontal areas, the largest cluster extending from the left superior medial gyrus and left anterior cingulate cortex to the right inferior frontal gryus, right middle frontal gyrus and right cingulate cortex. These results suggest that patterns of brain activity can be used to detect when an individual is feigning a hearing loss to either tonal or word stimuli as such feigning leads to bilateral activation of prefrontal and neighbouring regions of the cortex in a manner similar to that seen in other acts of dissimulation. Cortical imaging techniques may therefore to able to play an important role in identifying individuals who are feigning hearing loss.