The Q-collar — which wraps around the back and sides of the neck — was inspired by the “brain-protecting anatomy of woodpeckers and head-butting rams,” said a press release announcing the study. It works by placing a mild force on the muscles that surround the jugular veins, which in turn, increases blood volume in the skull. This creates what’s known as a “bubble wrap” effect that is hypothesized to reduce the brain from “sloshing, twisting/tear or slamming against the interior walls of the skull.”
“What we found,” said Myer, “is that there was no change in the group that wore the collar in their working memory, but we did see some alterations as evidenced by increased activation in the brain in those athletes who did not wear the collar. There was a temporal relationship between the changes in the brain activation in the non-collar group and the last hits that they were exposed to (during latter part of the season)…. And it’s not brain injury, it’s physical inactivity and that’s what we have to really get the public aware of — how important sports are for the youth and making all sports safe so they can play all sports without fear of injury is our ultimate goal.”