Session: 06-01-01: Injury and Damage Biomechanics I - Organ and Tissue Injury Biomechanics 1

Paper Number: 150476

150476 - A Computational Analysis of the Electrophysiological Functioning of Neuron Aggregates With Focal Damage 

Neuronal communication is the crucial mechanism that enables information to be transmitted between neurons that are interconnected via synaptic junctions throughout the entire brain structure. The communication network is prone to damage after experiencing any form of trauma, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodegenerative diseases. The resultant mechanical distortion leads to the death of neurons and glial cells, as well as the breakdown of their connections. Consequently, the collapse of the neural circuitry is experienced. This disruption of interactions between neurons occurs due to the physical and chemical impairment of the neurons and their surrounding environment. These geometric aberrations have a substantial influence on the microstructural behavior of brain tissue, leading to erratic electrophysiological activity. This study seeks to analyze the neural activity of aggregates of neurons when exposed to focal morphological distortions. The local damage sites are referred to as enriched nodes which serve as critical locations for the nerve impulse to cease transmission. The enriched nodes are primarily designated to be axonal swelling sites which are responsible for the termination of action potential (AP) signal propagation, as they grow following a temporal development profile. These swelled locations eventually occupy a critical threshold radius which induces microscopic strain to the cell membrane and existing membrane components and renders them dysfunctional. This ultimately incapacitates the transmembrane ion fluxes that are obligatory for providing the appropriate settings for signal conduction. Thus, the objective of this study is to expand on the existing framework to observe the propagation characteristics of the AP signals and analyze the benchmarks for maintaining electrophysiological functioning in a simplified network of neurons subjected to injury. This study is anchored on the concept that neurons can retain their capacity to transmit signals up to a specific threshold following exposure to mechanical trauma. However, once the crucial threshold is reached, they experience a decline in their ability to function electrically. An enriched one-dimensional model comprising of the aforementioned enriched nodes is utilized for the system of neurons to capture the AP transmission profiles through appropriate computational schemes. The simulations are organized such that the enriched nodes contain ion channels that are susceptible to damage from mechanical impact, hence altering the electrical responses of the transmitted signals in the region. In summary, this study aims to facilitate the ability to predict the damage threshold for a minimal group of neuron cells by analyzing the extent of neuronal electrophysiological deficits in response to the injury sustained at the cellular level.

Presenting Author: Md Navid Imtiaz Rifat University of Texas at Arlington

Presenting Author Biography: Mr. Md Navid Imtiaz Rifat is currently a 4th year Ph.D. student and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. His Ph.D. dissertation is related to neuronal electrophysiological disruption risk prediction following traumatic brain injury (TBI), to bridge cellular-level mechanical damage with neuronal communication.

Authors:

Md Navid Imtiaz Rifat University of Texas at Arlington
Ashfaq Adnan University of Texas at Arlington