injury by fitting the infant with a specially designed cool cap to reduce its temperature by a few degrees. "This cooling may prevent irreversible brain damage in babies starved of oxygen during a difficult delivery," Dr John Wyatt, of University College London, said in a statement. The technique is revolutionary because it goes against the common belief that newborn babies should be kept warm, and that brain damage from oxygen deprivation is instantaneous. "Now it appears that there is a delay before the process become irreversible. The brain behaves normally for a number of hours before the mitochondria stop working. When that happens the affected brain cells stop functioning and die," Wyatt explained. Wyatt and his team are already working on a prototype cap and hope to begin trials later this year. Oxygen deprivation is a serious complication of childbirth and occurs in one or two of every thousand deliveries. In poorer countries it is a major cause of infant mortality. The baby's supply of oxygen can be cut if the umbilical cord is smashed, during very powerful and irregular contractions or if the placenta is detached from the uterus too early. Lowering the body temperature has proven effective in reducing injury during adult surgery but until now it hasn't been considered as a treatment for infants. Wyatt thinks the technique could also prevent damage in adults suffering from strokes or accidents.