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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Long-Term Effects of Low-Level Blast Exposures in Mice
Published on: May 24, 2024
A biomechanical-based approach to scale blast-induced molecular changes in the brain
Jose E Rubio1,2, Dhananjay Radhakrishnan Subramaniam1,2, Ginu Unnikrishnan1,2
1Department of Defense Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, United States Army Medical Research and Development Command, ATTN: FCMR-TT, 504 Scott Street, Fort Detrick, MD, 21702-5012, USA.
This study introduces a novel method to translate animal brain injury findings to humans. Results indicate humans need higher blast wave exposure than rats to cause similar brain tissue responses, aiding safety guideline development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Toxicology
Background:
- Animal models are crucial for understanding blast wave brain injury.
- Current methods lack reliable ways to scale animal findings to human responses.
- Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) poses significant risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an experimental/computational approach for projecting animal brain responses to human equivalents.
- To correlate biomechanical factors with molecular changes in brain tissue after blast exposure.
- To establish a methodology for translating blast overpressure (BOP) effects across species.
Main Methods:
- Rats were exposed to varying BOPs in a shock tube.
- High-fidelity computational models of rat and human heads were used.
- Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) changes were measured in rat brain tissue.
- Correlations between strain rate and GFAP were established to scale BOPs between species.
Main Results:
- A correlation was found between model-predicted strain rate and GFAP changes in specific rat brain regions.
- Equivalent BOPs were determined for rats and humans inducing similar strain rates.
- Projected GFAP changes suggest humans require higher BOPs than rats for similar brain tissue responses.
Conclusions:
- The proposed methodology effectively translates blast-induced brain molecular changes from rats to humans.
- Humans appear to have a higher tolerance to BOPs compared to rats for similar strain rates.
- This approach can inform the development of crucial safety guidelines for blast exposure.
