Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in the United States, particularly among military personnel who are at high risk for exposure to blast events. Blast-related TBI may result in long-term challenges to everyday living, such as headaches, sensory impairment, depression, anxiety, and memory impairment. While most people with last TBI find relief for these symptoms within in a matter of days or weeks, there remains a number of blast TBI patients who have a delayed-onset of persisting challenges.
Blast injuries often occur in multiple phases: the primary injury (the initial blow), secondary injuries (which occur after the initial blow from residual debris), and tertiary injuries (which can occur when the individual is thrown by the blast). It can be important for clinicians to understand the initial cause of TBI for a more accurate diagnosis and an appropriate care plan. However, primary blast-related TBIs are difficult to research because it is challenging to isolate the first injury from others.
A team of researchers used cell cultures to create a 3D model of blast exposures in brain-like tissue. The researchers developed a silk scaffold structure containing different types of human brain cells that can be damaged by blast TBI, including microglia, astrocytes, and neurons. Their advanced blast simulator was able to replicate a free field blast in a controlled environment with repeatable and accurate results. The researchers were also able to observe neuronal varicosities, or swellings along the length of a neuron’s axon, in the model cells.
The inability to isolate primary blast injuries may hinder the diagnosis and appropriate care of patients with TBI, as clinicians are unable to determine the initial cause of injury. A model that replicates the distinct conditions of a primary blast injury will allow researchers to determine specific injury markers, so that clinicians have a clearer understanding of the cause of TBI. Ultimately, this development can be used to further the clinical understanding and improve treatment for blast-related TBI.
Snapper D, Reginauld B, Liaudanskaya V, et al. Development of a novel bioengineered 3D brain-like tissue for studying primary blast-induced traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuroscience Research. (October 2022).