A Neural circuit has been identified that allows people to predict whether someone is going to lie to them. The finding could help to explain why some people become paranoid. Humans have "theory of mind" -the ability to imagine what others are thinking and learn from their social habits. "We're trying to find a specific circuit that performs social learning," says Matthew Rushworth at the University of Oxford, who presented his work at a Cell Press LabLinks conference in London on 3 Decembe Rushworth's team scanned volunteers' brains while they chose one of two boxes to win points. They were sent advice on which box to choose from a second player who was sometimes dishonest.
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