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Publication

Regional characterization of the dynamic mechanical properties of human brain tissue by microindentation

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Finite element models of the human head are used widely to simulate TBI loading scenar- ios, to improve the understanding of the mechanical pathogenesis of head trauma. The re- liability of such computational models depends strongly on the accuracy of the mechanical properties of the different components of the brain. Here, we address the shortage of high- quality data on the region-specific properties of human brain tissue at dynamic rates and under large deformation. We mechanically characterized 12 different regions of the human brain including cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem through n = 595 force-relaxation ex- periments with a custom-built micro-indentation apparatus. We imposed up to 35% strain at 10/s strain rate, i.e. values representative for TBI. Pronounced differences in mechani- cal response were observed across the brain. This work both highlights and addresses the need to assign accurate, region-specific viscoelastic properties to different brain regions in finite element head models.
Journal: International Journal of Engineering Science
ISSN: 0020-7225
Volume: 155
Publication year:2020
BOF-keylabel:yes
IOF-keylabel:yes
BOF-publication weight:10
CSS-citation score:1
Authors:International
Authors from:Higher Education
Accessibility:Open