Translational Research for Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury: Injury Mechanism to Development of Medical Instruments

摘要

1. Investigation of shock wave-induced phenomenon: blast-induced traumatic brain injury Blast wave (BW) is generated by explosion and is comprised of lead shock wave (SE) followed by subsequent supersonic flow. In addition to civilian traumatic brain injury (TBI) mechanisms, pressure induced damage accounts for the occurrence of blast-induced TBI (bTBI). Since BW is invisible, and impacts brain in extremely short period of time in contrast to direct impact and penetrating mechanism injury, it is difficult to recognize for the victim to being suffered clinically. In addition, there have been few animal models that can be conducted in the laboratory and validated in terms of SW physics, which precluded us from understanding mechanism and pathophysiology of bTBI. Multidisciplinary research projects were conducted by the Shock Wave Research Laboratory at the Institute of Fluid Science and the Department of Medicine, Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, which launched a research program for the medical application of SWs in the 1970s. The experimental application of SWs to the central nervous system was initiated over 10 years ago. Investigation of the pathological features and thresholds of SW-induced brain injury have revealed similarities in the injury findings of bTBI, and have shown the potential of SW research to help understand the mechanism of bTBI.