title: Mechanics of the brain: perspectives, challenges, and opportunities.
abstract: The human brain is the continuous subject of extensive investigation aimed at understanding its behavior and function. Despite a clear evidence that mechanical factors play an important role in regulating brain activity, current research efforts focus mainly on the biochemical or electrophysiological activity of the brain. Here, we show that classical mechanical concepts including deformations, stretch, strain, strain rate, pressure, and stress play a crucial role in modulating both brain form and brain function. This opinion piece synthesizes expertise in applied mathematics, solid and fluid mechanics, biomechanics, experimentation, material sciences, neuropathology, and neurosurgery to address today's open questions at the forefront of neuromechanics. We critically review the current literature and discuss challenges related to neurodevelopment, cerebral edema, lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, hydrocephaly, craniectomy, spinal cord injury, tumor growth, traumatic brain injury, and shaken baby syndrome. The multi-disciplinary analysis of these various phenomena and pathologies presents new opportunities and suggests that mechanical modeling is a central tool to bridge the scales by synthesizing information from the molecular via the cellular and tissue all the way to the organ level.
authors.affiliation: Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK, Alain.Goriely@maths.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goriely
authors.forename: Marc G D
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Geers
authors.forename: Gerhard A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Holzapfel
authors.forename: Jayaratnam
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jayamohan
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jérusalem
authors.forename: Sivabal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivaloganathan
authors.forename: Waney
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Squier
authors.forename: Johannes A W
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: van Dommelen
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kuhl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D003198:Computer Simulation; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006801:Humans; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength