Q-Collar effects on reaction time, task switching and heart rate

Concussions are detrimental to athlete performance, health and cognitive function. The Q-Collar is a popular commercially available device that claims to reduce concussion risk by mildly compressing the jugular vein to increase intracranial blood volume and better protect the brain against impacts. Whether Q-collar use during exercise alters neurological performance is important, but unclear. Subjects with a previously diagnosed concussion in last 6 months to 3 years (5 male, 5 female, age 20.6 +/- 0.6) completed two bouts of continuous steady-state cycle-ergometry synchronized to a metronome for 30 minutes with a Q-collar and without in randomized order. During bike exercise bouts, reaction time and task switching, as well as finger pulse oximetry and heart rate were measured at three times (pre-exercise, exercise onset and at exercise completion). Reaction time test score (0-100) significantly decreased in the Q-collar group at exercise completion when compared to the control (67.0±17.8 vs 79.2±18.6; p=0.048), but not at pre-exercise and exercise onset. No significant differences were noted between the Q-collar and control conditions for task switching, pulse oximetry and heart rate. Heart rate significantly increased (p< 0.001) in both groups over the three testing periods as expected. Wearing a Q-collar may negatively affect reaction time, which is an important skill needed for more successful athletic outcomes. While Q-Collar claims to reduce concussion risk by altering cerebral vascular blood flow, this could come at the cost of reduced reaction times, and paradoxically lead to increased collisions that could lead to concussions. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2026 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.