title: A novel head-neck cooling device for concussion injury in contact sports.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Carle Foundation Hospital, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA; Thermal Neuroscience Laboratory, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Carle Foundation Hospital, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Thermal Neuroscience Laboratory, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Claire M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hasadsri
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, USA; The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Llano
authors.affiliation: The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Jarred
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA; Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: The Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA.
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sutton
keywords: Brain hypothermia; Brain temperature; Head-neck cooling; Mild traumatic brain injury; Sports