Mathematical modelling of blood-brain barrier failure and oedema.
Injuries such as traumatic brain injury and stroke can result in increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. This increase may lead to water accumulation in the brain tissue resulting in vasogenic oedema. Although the initial injury may be localized, the resulting oedema causes mechanical damage and compression of the vasculature beyond the original injury site. We employ a biphasic mixture model to investigate the consequences of BBB permeability changes within a region of brain tissue and the onset of vasogenic oedema. We find that such localized changes can indeed result in brain tissue swelling and suggest that the type of damage that results (stress damage or strain damage) depends on the ability of the brain to clear oedema fluid.
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Georgina E
GE
Lang
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Dominic
D
Vella
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Sarah L
SL
Waters
Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Alain
A
Goriely
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008959:Models, Neurological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics
Blood–brain barrier; biphasic model; brain mechanics; mathematical modelling; vasogenic oedema