A method to predict location of non-coup brain injuries

TL;DR

This paper introduces a screw theory-based method to predict the location and severity of non-coup brain injuries caused by head impacts, validated through simulations and experiments.

Contribution

It presents a novel application of screw theory to predict non-coup brain injury locations based on head motion data.

Findings

Scalar measure correlates with injury severity

Predictions align with experimental data

Method validated with simulations and primate experiments

Abstract

Brain injuries are a major reason for mortality and morbidity following trauma in sports, work and traffic. Apart from the trauma at the site of impact (coup injury), other regions of the brain remote from the impact locations (non-coup) are commonly affected. We show that a screw theory-based method can be used to account for the combined effect of head rotational and linear accelerations in causing brain injuries. A scalar measure obtained from the inner product of the motion screw and the impact screw is shown to be a predictor of the severity and the location of non-coup brain injuries under an impact. The predictions are consistent with head impact experiments conducted with non-human primates. The methodology is proved using finite element simulations and already published experimental results