Response to blast-like shear stresses associated with mild blast induced brain injury (Biophysical Journal)

Towards the goal of understanding the pathophysiology of mild blast induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), and identifying the physical forces associated with the primary injury phase, we developed a system that couples a pneumatic blast to a microfluidic channel to precisely and reproducibly deliver shear transients to dissociated human central nervous system (CNS) cells, on a time scale comparable to an explosive blast but with minimal pressure transients. Using fluorescent beads, we have characterized the shear transients experienced by the cells, and demonstrate that the system is capable of accurately and reproducibly delivering uniform shear transients with minimal pressure across the cell culture volume.