19 March 2012 Last updated at 02:38 ET By Eleanor Bradford BBC Scotland Health Correspondent
Scotland is to play a major role in a trial of artificial hibernation to treat strokes, it has been revealed.
Stroke patients from all over the UK will be offered a chance to take part in the Edinburgh University study.
The treatment involves cooling the body by two degrees to prevent further damage to the brain.
Cooling pads and cold intravenous fluids will be used to bring the body's temperature down from 36.8 degrees to between 34 and 35 degrees.
The technique is already used to reduce brain injury after cardiac arrests and birth injuries. It is hoped it will have the same effect in stroke victims.
Dr Malcolm Macleod, head of experimental neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, said: "People may have heard stories about people falling through the ice and making an amazing recovery because they've been cold at the time.
"There have been a number of small studies looking at whether cooling the body could improve outcome for stroke. It's not enough to tell us for sure if it works but it suggests there may be substantial beneficial effect."
What this trial is trying to test is whether this treatment will make a difference to everyday patients
It is not known exactly how cooling the body reduces injury to the brain.
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'Hibernation' bid to treat stroke