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Head Injury Research: Computer Models of Head Impact

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The Biomechanics of Impact Injury

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Abstract

The purpose of modeling head impact is to try to understand the effect of a blow to the brain. Thus, it is essential that the brain be modeled in as much detail as possible. Then, of course, it will be necessary to assess injury to the brain by computing its response. Based on what we know about brain injury, we hypothesize that strain in the axons is a likely cause of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and intracranial pressure wave propagation can be a second parameter of interest. Because of the complexity of the geometry of the head and brain, the many different types of tissues involved, and the lack of data on their material properties under high strain rate conditions, the modeling task is far from being simple. In the pre-finite element era, simplifying assumptions were made to facilitate the formulation of equations that describe the impact event. For example, the first known model of head impact was proposed by Anzelius (1943) who assumed the head to be a rigid sphere and the brain to be a liquid. He solved the governing equations in closed form, and his model predicted coup and contrecoup pressures at the site of impact and at a site diametrically opposite to the site of impact, respectively.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Albert I. King

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  1. Albert I. King
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Appendices

Questions for Chapter 4

  1. 4.1.

    Before the finite element method was available, modeling of blunt head impact was

    1. [ ] (i)

      Done by assuming the whole head to be an elastic solid

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Achieved by assuming that the brain was an incompressible fluid only

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Accomplished without the aid of numerical methods

    4. [ ] (iv)

      Described by partial differential equations representing an axisymmetric elastic shell containing various materials representing the head

    5. [ ] (v)

      Not possible due to the complexity of the anatomy of the head

  2. 4.2.

    Finite element models of the head, simulating blunt impact can assume a rigid skull. One of the drawbacks is:

    1. [ ] (i)

      It cannot be used to simulate indirect head impacts involving large rotational accelerations

    2. [ ] (ii)

      It cannot be used to simulate direct head impacts involving large translational accelerations

    3. [ ] (iii)

      It may not predict intracranial pressures accurately for direct head impacts

    4. [ ] (iv)

      (i) and (ii)

    5. [ ] (v)

      (ii) and (iii)

  3. 4.3.

    The principal difference between the model developed by Ruan et al. (1993) and Zhou et al. (1994) is

    1. [ ] (i)

      The lack of ventricles in the Ruan model

    2. [ ] (ii)

      That the Ruan model has a rigid skull

    3. [ ] (iii)

      That the Ruan model does not distinguish the material properties of gray and white matter

    4. [ ] (iv)

      That the Ruan model has more elements than the Zhou model

    5. [ ] (v)

      None of the above

  4. 4.4.

    The latest version of the WSUBIM is Version 2001. Its features include:

    1. [ ] (i)

      Detailed modeling of the brain, meninges, CSF, scalp, skull, and facial features

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The brain is allowed to slide relative to the CSF

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The shear modulus of the white matter is higher than that of the gray matter

    4. [ ] (iv)

      There are over 314,000 elements

    5. [ ] (v)

      All of the above

  5. 4.5.

    The WSUBIM Version 2001 is

    1. [ ] (i)

      A totally revamped version of the WSUBIM Version II

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Has many more nodes and elements than all previous versions

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Has a model of the facial bones

    4. [ ] (iv)

      (i) and (iii)

    5. [ ] (v)

      (i), (ii), and (iii)

  6. 4.6.

    The WSUBIM Version 2001 has been validated against both intracranial pressure data and brain motion data

    1. [ ] (i)

      The motion data were obtained from living human subject

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The pressure data were obtained at Ford Hospital

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The motion data were obtained at Ford Hospital

    4. [ ] (iv)

      The pressure data were obtained from living human subjects

    5. [ ] (v)

      The pressure data were obtained from pigs tested at the University of Pennsylvania

  7. 4.7.

    There are many blood vessels in the brain. Select the statement that is incorrect

    1. [ ] (i)

      These blood vessels can provide the brain with mechanical strength

    2. [ ] (ii)

      The bridging veins can rupture due to high angular acceleration, causing a subdural hematoma

    3. [ ] (iii)

      The blood vessels consist of veins and arteries but no capillaries

    4. [ ] (iv)

      The blood vessels can have a significant influence on the stress distribution in the brain during an impact

    5. [ ] (v)

      The bridging veins drain into the sagittal sinus which is formed by the two layers of the dura

  8. 4.8.

    The use of different material properties for gray and white matter of the brain in the finite element models developed at Wayne State University was based on:

    1. [ ] (i)

      Test data from human cadaver impacts

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Test data from living human subjects who volunteered to be impacted

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Test data from living porcine (pig) subjects undergoing high linear accelerations

    4. [ ] (iv)

      Test data from living porcine (pig) subjects undergoing high angular accelerations

    5. [ ] (v)

      Test data from living subhuman primates subjected to both linear and angular accelerations

  9. 4.9.

    The best predictor for brain injury is

    1. [ ] (i)

      Angular acceleration

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Strain rate of brain tissue

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Maximum principal strain of brain tissue

    4. [ ] (iv)

      Product of strain and strain rate of brain tissue

    5. [ ] (v)

      HIC

  10. 4.10.

    The use of different material properties for gray and white matter of the brain in the finite element models developed at Wayne State University was based on:

    1. [ ] (i)

      Test data from impacts to dogs and monkeys

    2. [ ] (ii)

      Test data from living human subjects who volunteered to be impacted

    3. [ ] (iii)

      Test data from living porcine (pig) subjects undergoing high linear accelerations

    4. [ ] (iv)

      Test data from cadaveric porcine (pig) subjects undergoing high angular accelerations

    5. [ ] (v)

      None of the above

Answers to Problems by Chapter

Prob

Ans

1

(iv)

2

(v)

3

(iii)

4

(v)

5

(v)

6

(iii)

7

(iii)

8

(iv)

9

(iv)

10

(v)

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King, A.I. (2018). Head Injury Research: Computer Models of Head Impact. In: The Biomechanics of Impact Injury. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49792-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49792-1_4

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-49792-1

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