Unraveling the Mechanobiology Underlying Traumatic Brain Injury with Advanced Technologies and Biomaterials. Issue 19 (27th July 2022) - Shao, Xiaowei
Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a worldwide health and socioeconomic problem, associated with prolonged and complex neurological aftermaths, including a variety of functional deficits and neurodegenerative disorders. Research on the long‐term effects has highlighted that TBI shall be regarded as a chronic health condition. The initiation and exacerbation of TBI involve a series of mechanical stimulations and perturbations, accompanied by mechanotransduction events within the brain tissues. Mechanobiology thus offers a unique perspective and likely promising approach to unravel the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms leading to neural cells dysfunction after TBI, which may contribute to the discovery of novel targets for future clinical treatment. This article investigates TBI and the subsequent brain dysfunction from a lens of neuromechanobiology. Following an introduction, the mechanobiological insights are examined into the molecular pathology of TBI, and then an overview is given of the latest research technologies to explore neuromechanobiology, with particular focus on microfluidics and biomaterials. Challenges and prospects in the current field are also discussed. Through this article, it is hoped that extensive technical innovation in biomedical devices and materials can be encouraged to advance the field of neuromechanobiology, paving potential ways for the research and rehabilitation of neurotrauma and neurological diseases. Abstract : Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is triggered by and exacerbated by a series of mechanical events. Unraveling the neuromechanobiology mechanisms of TBI contributes to a thorough understanding of its pathology and long‐term sequelae, paving ways for more efficient therapeutics. This article reviews the relevant studies, presenting a new paradigm of mechanobiology as a possible bridge between medical problems and engineering solutions.