Traumatic Brain Injury: Coupled Experiment/Finite Element Simulation on High Rate Mechanical Response of Porcine Brain

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), due to recursive concussions, is prevalent in professional sports. Martland was first to report neuropathological conditions related to recursive TBI in professional boxing; while Omalu et al. were the first to report similar neuropathogical conditions, in NFL professionals [1, 2]. Both Martland and Omalu et al. reported long-term neurodegeneration leading to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease [1, 2]. Professional athletes with recursive TBI were observed to have developed speech difficulties, memory lapses, Parkinsons’s-like syndrome with drooling, tremors, and emotional volatility. Although clinical and experimental studies have been carried out to advance the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms following TBI, limited progress has been made in understanding the effect of stress waves on the neuropathology of TBI using Finite Element Analysis (FEA).