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002

Title:#

Effects of Brain vasculature, Skull size on the Spatial and Temporal Deformation of Brain under Blunt and Blast Trauma

Discipline: Biomedical Engineering

Presenter:#

Michael Hanna

Abstract:#

Introduction: The objective of our research is to determine the link between anatomical variabilities and injury outcome of TBI. Anatomical variabilities contribute to different brain deformations and consequently different injuries and responses. To elucidate these differences, we developed custom-made head surrogate models to visualize deformations occurring in the brain during different injury scenarios with high speed photography. Materials and Methods: Physical head models consisting of a skull, brain, and neck were constructed. The skulls were 3D printed of (Stratasys), and Veroclear (Stratasys). Brain surrogate material is 20% ballistics gelatin (Clear Ballistics). One surrogate iteration attempted to model the anterior cerebral artery and the other model compared strain values in 95th percentile head size with 5th percentile head size. Forehead Blunt injury scenarios were replicated with a uniaxial impact machine (Cadex Inc.) with a ~10lb metal impactor at 3 miles per hour. The surrogate heads were oriented to be impacted at forehead. All tests were recorded with a high-speed camera at 2000 frames per second. Visual markers within brain surrogates were used to motion track deformations and extract principal strains: tension (ิ‘1), compression (ิ‘1), max shear (ฯ„max). Results and Discussion: Larger head size appeared to have lower strains than smaller head size. Regions of the brain surrogate with increased strains remained elevated regardless of the skull size. Brain material around vasculature experienced significantly lower strains than control indicating that vasculature have impact on injury.

Author(s):#

Michael Hanna, Abdus Ali, Brayn Pfister

Funding Acknowledgements:#