Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my parahippocampal gyrus. Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study the neural basis of suspicion, the authors believe a person’s baseline suspicion may have important consequences for his or her financial success. The findings may also have implications for such psychiatric conditions as paranoia and anxiety disorders, they said.