INFLUENCE OF HEAD ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION PULSE SHAPE ON BRAIN TISSUE STRAINS

• Brain tolerance to rotational acceleration is relevant for understanding injury thresholds and development of injury mitigation techniques for automobiles and sporting events. This computational-modeling study outlined effects of head rotational acceleration pulse shape on strains within brain tissues. A detailed finite element model of the human skull and brain was developed and validated previously. The model was exercised using realistic rotational accelerations with different magnitude and duration characteristics, and the principal strain re- sponse was extracted for parietal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and hypothalamus. Rotational acceleration magnitude was varied to three levels: 3.6krad/s 2 (M1), 5.3krad/s 2 (M2), and 6.6krad/s 2 (M3). Duration was varied to 9msec (D1), 18msec (D2), and 27msec (D3). Hippocampus and hypothalamus sustained more strain than cortex and thalamus. With increasing acceleration magnitude from M1 to M2 and M2 to M3, strain in all brain regions was uniformly increased by 42% and 80%. However, strains demonstrated regionally dependent chan- ges with increasing duration (D1 to D3): 68%, 37%, 33% and 14% in parietal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus, respec- tively. The trend was consistent for all acceleration magnitudes. This study demonstrated differing and independent effects of rotational acceleration magnitude and duration on strains within brain tissues during rotational acceleration. Magnitude has long been a correlate of injury severity and this study supports that finding in that increased acceleration magnitudes led to uniformly higher brain tissue strains (higher injury risk). However, rotational acceleration duration chan- ged the strain distribution within the brain, resulting in different injury risks in different brain regions. This finding is significant as changing strain distribution with different durations can manifest as different injury distributions within the brain and different neuropsychological outcomes following exposure to head rotational acceleration.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

finite element model

rotational acceleration

tissue strain

traumatic brain injury

Critical Care Medicine

Clinical Neurology

Neurosciences

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)