Shock Induced Deformation and Damage in Rat Brain Slices
Shock-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have received increasing attention because many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from these disorders. The shock loading duration is typically on the order of few hundred microseconds and hence the strain rate of deformation is very high. Therefore, in the current study, high-rate loading experiments were conducted on brain tissue slices which mimic loading durations encountered in shock loading [1]. The polymer split Hopkinson pressure bar (PSHPB) was used to generate high rate loading as a high speed digital camera captured the deformation of brain tissue. To further clarify initial injury events, post-test damage was assessed through histological studies. This experimental model provides the opportunity for time-resolved visualization of actual tissue deformation thus allowing improved ability to isolate damage-sensitive tissue regions.