SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
& EVIDENCE
In addition to the extensive study conducted by Lund University in collaboration with the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and HockeyAllsvenskan (HA), below are several other studies that demonstrates the effects of brain cooling for treating concussion. These studies point to the positive effects of cooling treatment for concussions, something that the robust study with SHL now confirms with its strong result.
EXCERPT FROM PUBLICATION
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"In conclusion, the study demonstrated increased the vulnerability of the mildly traumatized brain to periods of elevated temperature. Elevating the brain and core temperature immediately prior to mTBI produced more severe changes in contusion volume and damage to dentate hilar neurons. This finding would suggest that strategies that include the critical measurement and management of temperatures before or following an mTBI or concussion could be beneficial in limiting tissue vulnerability and subsequent behavioral deficits."
University of Miami
Mild Hyperthermia Worsens the Neuropathological Damage Associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats
Atsushi Sakurai, Coleen M. Atkins, Ofelia F. Alonso, Helen M. Bramlett, and W. Dalton Dietrich
SUMMARY
Experimental study from the University of Miami shows that mild hyperthermia in rats (39°C) gives significant more symptoms than at 37 °C. See attached full article.
The effect of sub-concussive collisions on brain integrity in colleagiate football players over a single football season: A multi-modal neuroimaging study
Slobounov SM, Walter A, Breiter HC, Zhu DC, Bai X, Bream T, Seidenberg P, Mao X, Johson B, Talvage TM Neuroimage Clinical 2017
March; 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.03.006
Dynamic blood brain barrier regulation in mild head trauma
O'Keeffe, Eoin & Kelly, Eoin & Liu, Yuzhe & Giordano, Chiara & Wallace, Eugene & Hynes, Mark & Tiernan, Stephen & Meagher, Aidan & Greene, Chris & Hughes, Stephanie & Burke, Tom & Kealy, John & Doyle, Niamh & Hay, Alison & Farrell, Michael & Grant, Gerald & Friedman, Alon & Veksler, Ronel & Molloy, Michael & Campbell, Matthew. (2019).
Journal of Neurotrauma. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2019.6483.
Further scientific evidence
ADDRESS
PolarCool AB
Medicon Village
223 81 Lund
SUMMARY
The scientific publication is an analysis of data from a 5-year study conducted in a collaboration between Lund University, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and HockeyAllsvenskan (HA). The results from the study show that treated players returned to play significantly sooner when using PolarCap® System, as well as show an immediate relief of symptoms.
Most interestingly, the study also found that long-term absence (3 weeks or more) was greatly reduced among treated players, by almost 80 percent.
Journal of Neurotrauma
Lund University
Shorter recovery time in concussed elite ice hockey players by early head-and-neck cooling – a clinical trial
Dr Ali Al-Husseini, Dr Mohammad Fazel Bakhsheshi, Professor eme Yelverton Tegner & Professor Niklas Marklund
2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY
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Due to the positive result of the intial 3-year study, 2 PolarCap® Systems were made available at all SHL games during seasons 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, where data were continually collected.
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The result was then further strengthened when interim data from the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons were included where the number of cases increased to 137.
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The result showed stronger significance, especially regarding the considerably reduced proportion of long-term absence among treated players (absence 3 weeks or more, 6% of treated, 29% of control, p < 0.001).
EXCERPT FROM PUBLICATION
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"mTBI alone did not result in significant, long-term cognitive deficits."
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"mTBI while hyperthermic resulted in long-term learning and memory deficits."
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"Cooling after hyperthermic mild TBI prevented development of cognitive deficits."
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"Cortical contusions were decreased by cooling after hyperthermic mTBI."
University of Miami
Emergence of Cognitive Deficits after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury due to Hyperthermia
David J. Titus, Concepcion Furones, Coleen M. Atkins, and W. Dalton Dietrich
SUMMARY
Follow-up experimental study from the University of Miami shows both biological positive effects and cognitive long-term effects after cooling. See attached full article.
EXCERPT FROM PUBLICATION
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"fMRI showed global increase of relCBF after brain cooling."
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"Changes in subjects’ performance on spatial memory, reaction time and balance task after cooling."
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"Considering the existing evidence of metabolic crisis after concussive injury (e.g., reduced blood flow and increased demands for glucose etc., metabolism) (Giza and Hovda 2001) and the observed increase of blood flow (ASL data) in concussed individuals after 30 min of brain cooling administration, we can conclude that brain cooling may potentially be implemented as a treatment modality in the acute phase of injury."
Penn State University
Neurobiological effect of selective brain cooling after concussive injury
Alexa Walter, Katie Finelli, Xiaoxiao Bai, Brian Johnson, Thomas Neuberger, Peter Seidenberg , Timothy Bream, Mark Hallett & Semyon Slobounov
SUMMARY
Clinical study with a functional MRI from Penn State University that shows increased blood flow to the brain after cold treatment, where a negative effect of concussion is precisely a reduced blood flow. In the study, Penn State athletes suffering from concussions were cold-treated 3 to 8 days after injury. The study was conducted at the Center for Sport Concussion Research and Service. See attached full article.
EXCERPT FROM PUBLICATION
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"During contact sports, body temperature can elevate to between 38.9°C and 40.0°C at the peak of activity."
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"The key finding observed and most pronounced was an immediate reduction in post-injury event clinical symptoms in both male and female players who wore the head-neck cooling device. Whilst players who did not elect to use the head-neck cooling device, demonstrated no change in symptom scores measured via the CSS."
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"Interestingly, females recorded a similar symptom score in all the symptom scale clusters when compared with males for both the selective and no head-neck cooling groups. However, they did record a higher severity in most, but not all of the symptom clusters which was similar to previous studies."
Auckland University of Technology
Effect of Selective Head-Neck Cooling on Signs and Symptoms of Sport Originated Brain Injury in Amateur Sports: A Pilot Study
Doug King, Patria A Hume, Karen Hind and Trevor Clark
SUMMARY
Clinical study from New Zealand on 35 athletes, of which 23 women, cold-treated for 20-30 minutes showing reduced acute concussion symptoms for treated individuals. Equal effect between men and women.