A U.S. study suggests physicians shut off the portion of their brain that helps them appreciate the pain their patients are experiencing.

   Instead, the University of Chicago research indicates physicians activate a portion of the brain connected with controlling emotions during such patient encounters.

   Because doctors sometimes have to inflict pain on patients as part of the healing process, they also must develop the ability not to be distracted by the suffering, said Jean Decety, a professor of psychology and psychiatry and co-author of the study.

   "They have learned through their training and practice to keep a detached perspective; without such a mechanism, performing their practice could be overwhelming or distressing, and as a consequence impair their ability to be of assistance for their patients" said Decety.

   The research that included the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans shows for the first time that people can learn to control such a response.

   The study, conducted with Yawei Cheng of the Institute of Neuroscience at the National Yang-Ming University in Taipei, is to be published in the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Current Biology and is currently available in the journal's online edition.

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