An estimated 67 million people globally suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year. TBIs result from altered brain function due to external forces like foreign bodies embedding in the brain or repeated pre-concussive injuries. These pre-concussive injuries are underreported, undertreated, and therefore, underresearched due to an apparent low severity at the time of injury. However, pre-concussive injuries are essential to understanding why concussive and traumatic brain injuries occur, but previous studies of pre-concussive injuries lack live analysis of neurons. Therefore, we aimed to design a system to mechanically injure neurons that was reproducible and allowed for imaging concurrent to injury induction. We produced two devices capable of inducing overpressure injury in C. elegans. The pneumatic valve device yielded 60 psi over 25 ms, while the spring-generated shockwave device achieved 37 psi over 4.5 ms. At these pressures, the C. elegans showed increased neural activity reflecting an increase in neural sensitivity, indicating a potential link between TBI and changes in memory and most neuropsychiatric disorders.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Brousseau, Elizabeth
• Singer, Ryan
• Buda, Henry

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 65546
• E-project-042822-142143

Keyword

• Concussion
• Overpressure injury
• Traumatic brain injury
• Blast microchamber
• C. elegans
• Neural injury

Advisor

• Albrecht, Dirk

Year

• 2022

Date created

• 2022-04-28

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biomedical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2024-04-29