A Narrative Review of the Effects of Internal Jugular Vein Compression on Brain Structure and Function During Periods of Head Impact.

Abstract

Subconcussive impacts are very common in the sports world and can have many negative impacts on human function, including increased risk for cognitive decline and behavioral impairments such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The purpose of this article is to analyze the available literature on the effects of jugular vein compression applied by a cervical collar on cerebral structure and function in the setting of chronic impact exposure. This narrative review analyzed 17 articles on brain structure and function, published between 1992 and 2022. Our review of the 17 studies shows an overall neuroprotective effect of the external jugular vein compression applied by the cervical collar during insult to the head as compared to groups who did not wear a collar. These findings suggest a potential role of the cervical collar, in addition to helmets, in reducing the incidence of concussion-induced microtraumas and cascading secondary injury mechanisms. Though positive results are consistent throughout the studies, future studies with increased sample sizes are necessary to create precise estimates of the effects of the cervical collar. In addition, the analyzed studies mainly looked at the effects of the cervical collar on football players, soccer players, and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team members; thus, additional rigorous studies are needed to assess the impact of the cervical collar on other high-risk populations such as military and law-enforcement personnel, among others.