Dynamic Hydrostatic Loading Experiments for Nerve Cells and Development of Damage Evaluation Technique

In this paper, a new head injury criterion evaluated by the hydrostatic stress occurred in the head crash phenomenon. In order to obtain the threshold value for brain's organ and tissue, in vitro impact experiments to cultured nerve cells were performed. PC-12 cultured nerve cell was employed to imitate the human's nerve cell. In the experiments, various pressure waves were generated by introducing different heights of dropping weight for impacting. Relationships between peak values of impact compressive and expansive pressure waves and detachment rates and injury rates evaluated by the cell membranes damage were obtained.