Biofidelic human brain tissue surrogates

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to blast exposure or head impacts in accidents or contact sports is one of the most critical and poorly understood areas of research in the 21st century. To date, the unavailability of human brain tissues (grey and white matter especially) due to ethical and biosafety issues has not allowed for much experimental research into the study of the mechanics of brain tissues under impact or dynamic loading. In the current work, for the first time, biofidelic brain tissue surrogates have been developed using a low cost, castable (to any shape or size), two-part silicone-based material system to precisely mimic the nonlinear mechanical properties of both the white and the grey matter. The fabrication methodology involves the iterative mixing of the two parts of silicone at certain mix ratios (by weight) to generate a biomechanical behavior similar to the white and the grey matter tissues, respectively, at two different strain rates (low and high). The nonlinear behavior of these novel brain tissue surrogates have been characterized using five hyperelastic material models. These brain tissue simulant materials would be indispensable not only for the study of TBI, but also to allow doctors to practice brain surgeries (for training purposes) in a clinical setting. Additionally, crucial brain tissue modifications in Alzheimer's disease and dementia can be studied in the future with such accessible biofidelic brain tissue surrogate materials.

KEYWORDS:

• Brain tissue
• grey matter
• surrogates
• traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• white matter

Additional information

Funding

VU would like to acknowledge the faculty start-up funds and 2014 RGC grants from The University of Alabama .