Faculty Collaboration Database

Study of mild traumatic brain injuries using experiments and finite element modeling. Ann Adv Automot Med 2011;55:125-35

Date

11/23/2011

Pubmed ID

22105390

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3256827

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84055190655 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   17 Citations

Abstract

The objective of the study was to better understand the biomechanics of mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) using a hybrid approach: experiments and computational modeling. A three-dimensional finite element model of the rat skull and brain was used to understand the anatomical region-dependent stress response under mild TBI conditions. Anesthetized rats were exposed to varying coronal plane angular acceleration pulses without direct head contact. Experimental outcomes included unconscious time and histological evidence of brain pathology using GFAP and MAP2. The finite element model was exercised using the five experimental and four supplemental pulses to simulate nine independent combinations of peak acceleration and pulse duration (290 to 542 krad/s(2) and 1 to 3 ms). Stress response metrics were correlated to histological and behavioral (e.g., loss of consciousness) evidence of injury in rats subjected to pure coronal plane angular acceleration of the head. Injury severity was modulated by independently controlling peak magnitude and duration of the angular acceleration. While peak Von Mises stresses correlated well with changes in injury severity associated with peak angular acceleration, this metric did not demonstrate sensitivity to changes in acceleration duration. However, an integrated stress-time metric was able to predict changes in injury severity associated with increasing angular acceleration magnitude and duration in both the hippocampal and parietal cortex anatomical regions. Results of this unique hybrid analysis indicate that the combined stress-time variable may be more suited to explain variation of mild TBI severity, rather than pure peak metrics.

Author List

Lamy M, Baumgartner D, Willinger R, Yoganandan N, Stemper BD

Authors

Brian Stemper PhD Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Narayan Yoganandan PhD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Acceleration
Animals
Biomechanical Phenomena
Brain
Brain Concussion
Brain Injuries
Finite Element Analysis
Head