A novel head-neck cooling device for concussion injury in contact sports

• Main Authors: Wang Huan, Wang Bonnie, Jackson Kevin, Miller Claire M., Hasadsri Linda, Llano Daniel, Rubin Rachael, Zimmerman Jarred, Johnson Curtis, Sutton Brad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2015-01-01
• Series: Translational Neuroscience
• Subjects: head-neck cooling; mild traumatic brain injury; brain hypothermia; brain temperature; sports
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/tnsci-2015-0004

Emerging research on the long-term impact of concussions on athletes has allowed public recognition of the potentially devastating effects of these and other mild head injuries. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a multifaceted disease for which management remains a clinical challenge. Recent pre-clinical and clinical data strongly suggest a destructive synergism between brain temperature elevation and mTBI; conversely, brain hypothermia, with its broader, pleiotropic effects, represents the most potent neuro-protectant in laboratory studies to date. Although well-established in selected clinical conditions, a systemic approach to accomplish regional hypothermia has failed to yield an effective treatment strategy in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Furthermore, although systemic hypothermia remains a potentially valid treatment strategy for moderate to severe TBIs, it is neither practical nor safe for mTBIs. Therefore, selective head-neck cooling may represent an ideal strategy to provide therapeutic benefits to the brain. Optimizing brain temperature management using a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacesuit spinoff head-neck cooling technology before and/or after mTBI in contact sports may represent a sensible, practical, and effective method to potentially enhance recover and minimize post-injury deficits. In this paper, we discuss and summarize the anatomical, physiological, preclinical, and clinical data concerning NASA spinoff head-neck cooling technology as a potential treatment for mTBIs, particularly in the context of contact sports.