Chapters authored
Early Cell Response to Mechanical Stimuli during TBI
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to brain damage resulting from external mechanical forces such as a blast or crash. The tissue and cell deformations caused by shear forces are the most common pathological features in TBI and lead to long-term symptoms. Our current understanding of TBI derives mainly from in vivo studies of poststimulus pathology and the effects on brain function. Little is known about the early responses of brain cells during mechanical stimuli. In this chapter, we evaluate the early cell response to the rapid shear forces in vitro. We introduce advanced technologies capable of generating fast shear stimuli mimicking forces occurring in TBI and reporting internal forces in specific proteins at the time of injury. We define the threshold shear forces for calcium influx using an astrocyte model. We describe the spatiotemporal distribution of cytoskeletal forces and correlate them with variations in cell membrane tension. This chapter makes a strong argument that cells’ response to external forces is nonlinear. The heterogeneous distribution of cytoskeletal tension and the gradient of protein forces play a key role in the cells’ response to mechanical stimuli.
Part of the book: Recent Advances in Biomechanics