Cerebral Blood Pressure Rise During Blast Exposure in a Rat Model of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been called the signature wound of war in the past decade. The mechanisms of such injuries are not yet completely understood. One of the proposed hypotheses is the transfer of pressure wave from large torso blood vessels to the cerebrovasculature as a major contributing factor to bTBI. The aim of this study was to investigate this hypothesis by measuring cerebral blood pressure rise during blast exposure and comparing two scenarios of head-only or chest-only exposures to the blast wave. The results showed that the cerebral blood pressure rise was significantly higher in chest-only exposure, and caused infiltration of blood-borne macrophages into the brain. It is concluded that a significantly high pressure wave transfers from torso to cerebrovasculature during exposure of the chest to a blast wave. This wave may lead to blood-brain barrier disruption and consequently trigger secondary neuronal damage.