NEUROPATHOLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY - RELATIONSHIP TO NEUROCHEMICAL AND BIOMECHANICAL MECHANISMS

Brain injury is the leading cause of death among individuals under the age of 45 years in the United States and Europe. Recently, the neurop athologic classification of posttraumatic brain damage has provided in sight into the specific mechanisms underlying traumatically induced ne uronal damage and death. Studies regarding the biomechanics of brain t rauma have also provided great insight into the pathophysiologic mecha nisms underlying specific patterns of posttraumatic cellular death. Ba sed upon recent clinical evaluations and biomechanical studies, labora tory models of human brain injury have been developed that faithfully reproduce a number of important features of clinical brain trauma. Bio mechanical models have been used to study both the acute sequelae of b rain injury and the role of neurochemical alterations in contributing to the development of secondary or delayed cellular death and damage. This report reviews and integrates the laboratory investigations linki ng experimental models of brain injury to clinical diagnosis and treat ment.