Project

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) represent a major public health problem, especially among young and elderly, and represent approximately 60% of all deaths in hospitals. In traffic related accidents unprotected road users sustain all types of TBI whereas in modern cars the occupants in the vehicle and drivers may suffer from mild TBI. Many of the victims survive but the sustained brain injuries are often irreversible, causes long term pain and disability. TBI can be associated with skull fractures but commonly occur without fractures. About 40% TBI patients admitted to hospitals suffer from a diffuse brain damage (DBI), involve more than one region of the brain, and is usually caused by head rotation (Holbourne, 1943). Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is the most common type of DBI and commonly results in unconsciousness or death. The mechanical forces that result in DAI is commonly referred to as an inertial injury mechanism which means that injurious intracranial motions arise when the skull is accelerated and the brain mass, due to its inertia, lags behind relative the skull. The aim of this project is twofold: to redesign the existing test rig to allow for variation in peak rotational acceleration and pulse duration independently of each other; to use the modified device to investigate the effect of pulse duration in combination with peak rotational acceleration on the presence of DAI, subdural hemorrhages and contusions.