'Brain cooling' could help recovery of stroke patients

Cooling the brain of patients who have suffered a stroke could dramatically improve their recovery, a group of Scottish doctors has said.

They are joining others from across Europe who believe that inducing hypothermia soon after a stroke, can boost survival rates for some patients and reduce brain damage.

Dr Malcolm Macleod, head of experimental neuroscience at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, explains his hopes for the treatment.