Effect of Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure and Jugular Vein Compression on Behavioral and Cognitive Outcomes after a Single Season of High-School Football: A Prospective Longitudinal Trial.

This prospective longitudinal trial aimed to (1) determine the role of head impact exposure on behavioral/cognitive outcomes, and (2) assess the protective effect(s) of a jugular vein compression (JVC) collar on behavioral/cognitive outcomes after one season of high-school football. Participants included 284 male high-school football players aged 13-18 years enrolled from seven Midwestern high-schools. Schools were allocated to the JVC collar intervention (four teams, 140 players) or no collar/no intervention control (three teams, 144 players) condition.

The effects of internal jugular vein compression for modulating and preserving white matter following a season of American tackle football: A prospective longitudinal evaluation of differential head impact exposure.

The purpose of this clinical trial was to examine whether internal jugular vein compression (JVC)-using an externally worn neck collar-modulated the relationships between differential head impact exposure levels and pre- to postseason changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived diffusivity and anisotropy metrics of white matter following a season of American tackle football. Male high-school athletes (n = 284) were prospectively assigned to a non-collar group or a collar group. Magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from participants pre- and postseason and head impact exposure was monitored by accelerometers during every practice and game throughout the competitive season.