Information about Mild Injury or Concussion
Philip Bayley, Ph.D., Guy Genin, Ph.D., Eric Leuthardt, M.D.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Until now, specialists have had little proof about what happens to the brain during a traumatic injury or concussion. The use of test dummies and physics models used in the past have provided rough estimations, but the results have not produced an accurate depiction of what actually happens inside the skull.
Recently, mechanical engineers at Barnes-Jewish Hospital have teamed with a neurosurgeon resident to investigate the effects of acceleration on the brain. The research team included Philip Bayley, Ph.D. (Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor in Engineering), Guy Genin, Ph.D. (assistant professor of mechanical engineering), and Eric Leuthardt, M.D. (a resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital). Test subjects placed their heads in a soft netting guide inside an MRI, and were asked to raise and lower their heads. Their research revealed among other discoveries that injuries to the back of the head often result in damage to the front of the brain. The resulting motion causes the brain to pull away from the constraints at the front of the skull. The imaging technique is also being praised for its potential to be used to explore many other aspects of the brain and how it is affected by traumatic brain injuries.
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