Researchers led by Hidetoshi Masumoto and Genshiro Sunagawa at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Japan have developed a new method of protecting organs during heart and aortic surgery when blood circulation has to be blocked. Rather than relying on cold temperatures to induce hypometabolism and reduce the need for oxygen, the technique works by stimulating Q neurons in the brain, which slow metabolism down to a hibernation-like state.