Investigation of dynamic deformation of the midbrain in rear-end collision using human brain FE model

Abstract

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussions, can cause symptoms affecting physical or cognitive domains in the acute and chronic phases. In this study, we investigated the dynamic deformation of the brain stem, which might be important for these symptoms, using a human brain finite element model through reconstruction simulations of rear-end collisions in three different velocities. In all simulations, high maximum principal strain values were observed at the midbrain that were higher than those in the corpus callosum. These findings could provide some mechanical insights into brain disorders associated with mild TBI.

Keywords:

• Traumatic brain injury
• brain stem
• midbrain
• FEM
• accident reconstruction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study and have reviewed the submitted version of the manuscript. NA contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, critically revising the article, and approving the final version of the manuscript. MI contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data and critically revising the article. YN contributed to the development of the human brain and whole-body FE model. YA and JS contributed to critically revising the article.