Although blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is well recognized for its significance in the military population, the unique mechanisms of primary bTBI remain undefined. Animate models of primary bTBI are critical for determining these potentially unique mechanisms, but the biomechanical characteristics of many bTBI models are poorly understood. In this study, we examine some common shock tube configurations used to study blast-induced brain injury in the laboratory and define the optimal configuration to minimize the effect of torso overpressure and blast-induced head accelerations. Pressure transducers indicated that a customized animal holder successfully reduced peak torso overpressures to safe levels across all tested configurations. However, high speed video imaging acquired during the blast showed significant head accelerations occurred when animals were oriented perpendicular to the shock tube axis. These findings of complex head motions during blast are similar to previous reports [Goldstein et al., 2012, “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Blast-Exposed Military Veterans and a Blast Neurotrauma Mouse Model,” Sci. Transl. Med., 4(134), 134ra160; Sundaramurthy et al., 2012, “Blast-Induced Biomechanical Loading of the Rat: An Experimental and Anatomically Accurate Computational Blast Injury Model,” J. Neurotrauma, 29(13), pp. 2352–2364; Svetlov et al., 2010, “Morphologic and Biochemical Characterization of Brain Injury in a Model of Controlled Blast Overpressure Exposure,” J. Trauma, 69(4), pp. 795–804]. Under the same blast input conditions, minimizing head acceleration led to a corresponding elimination of righting time deficits. However, we could still achieve righting time deficits under minimal acceleration conditions by significantly increasing the peak blast overpressure. Together, these data show the importance of characterizing the effect of blast overpressure on head kinematics, with the goal of producing models focused on understanding the effects of blast overpressure on the brain without the complicating factor of superimposed head accelerations.
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September 2014
Research-Article
Significant Head Accelerations Can Influence Immediate Neurological Impairments in a Murine Model of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury
David M. Gullotti,
David M. Gullotti
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
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Matthew Beamer,
Matthew Beamer
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
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Matthew B. Panzer,
Matthew B. Panzer
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
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Yung Chia Chen,
Yung Chia Chen
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
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Tapan P. Patel,
Tapan P. Patel
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
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Allen Yu,
Allen Yu
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
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Nicolas Jaumard,
Nicolas Jaumard
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
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Beth Winkelstein,
Beth Winkelstein
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Department of Neurosurgery,
University of Pennsylvania
,Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Cameron R. Bass,
Cameron R. Bass
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
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Barclay Morrison,
Barclay Morrison
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Columbia University
,New York, NY 10027
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David F. Meaney
David F. Meaney
1
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Department of Neurosurgery,
University of Pennsylvania
,Philadelphia, PA 19104
1Corresponding author.
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David M. Gullotti
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Matthew Beamer
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Matthew B. Panzer
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
Yung Chia Chen
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Tapan P. Patel
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Allen Yu
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
Nicolas Jaumard
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Beth Winkelstein
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Department of Neurosurgery,
University of Pennsylvania
,Philadelphia, PA 19104
Cameron R. Bass
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Duke University
,Durham, NC 27708
Barclay Morrison
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Columbia University
,New York, NY 10027
David F. Meaney
Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania
,240 Skirkanich Hall
,210 S. 33rd Street
,Philadelphia, PA 19104-6321
Department of Neurosurgery,
University of Pennsylvania
,Philadelphia, PA 19104
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received June 21, 2013; final manuscript received June 11, 2014; accepted manuscript posted June 19, 2014; published online July 10, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Brian D. Stemper.
J Biomech Eng. Sep 2014, 136(9): 091004 (11 pages)
Published Online: July 10, 2014
Article history
Received:
June 21, 2013
Revision Received:
June 11, 2014
Accepted:
June 19, 2014
Citation
Gullotti, D. M., Beamer, M., Panzer, M. B., Chia Chen, Y., Patel, T. P., Yu, A., Jaumard, N., Winkelstein, B., Bass, C. R., Morrison, B., and Meaney, D. F. (July 10, 2014). "Significant Head Accelerations Can Influence Immediate Neurological Impairments in a Murine Model of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury." ASME. J Biomech Eng. September 2014; 136(9): 091004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4027873
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