Advances In Brain Mechanics

This monograph aims to provide a rigorous yet accessible presentation of some fundamental concepts used in modeling brain mechanics and give a glimpse of the insights and advances that have arisen as a result of the nascent interaction of the mathematical and neurosurgical sciences. It begins with some historical perspective and a brief synopsis of the biomedical/biological manifestations of the clinical conditions/diseases considered. Each chapter proceeds with a discussion of the various mathematical models of the problems considered, starting with the simplest models and proceeding to more complex models where necessary. A detailed list of relevant references is provided at the end of each chapter. With the beginning research student in mind, the chapters have been crafted to be as self-contained as possible while addressing different clinical conditions and diseases. The book is intended as a brief introduction to both theoreticians and experimentalists interested in brain mechanics, with directions and guidance for further reading, for those who wish to pursue particular topics in greater depth. It can also be used as a complementary textbook in a graduate level course for neuroscientists and neuroengineers.

Biomechanics of the Brain will present an introduction to brain anatomy for engineers and scientists. Experimental techniques such as brain imaging and brain tissue mechanical property measurement will be discussed, as well as computational methods for neuroimage analysis and modeling of brain deformations due to impacts and neurosurgical interventions. Brain trauma between the different sexes will be analyzed. Applications will include prevention and diagnosis of traumatic injuries, such as shaken baby syndrome, neurosurgical simulation and neurosurgical guidance, as well as brain structural disease modeling for diagnosis and prognosis. This book will be the first book on brain biomechanics. It will provide a comprehensive source of information on this important field for students, researchers, and medical professionals in the fields of computer-aided neurosurgery, head injury, and basic biomechanics.

Neuropsychological research on the neural basis of behavior generally asserts that brain mechanisms ultimately suffice to explain all psychologically described phenomena. This assumption stems from the idea that the brain consists entirely of material particles and fields, and that all causal mechanisms relevant to neuroscience can be formulated solely in terms of properties of these elements. Contemporary basic physical theory differs from classic physics on the important matter of how consciousness of human agents enters into the structure of empirical phenomena. The new principles contradict the older idea that local mechanical processes alone account for the structure of all empirical data. Contemporary physical theory brings directly into the overall causal structure certain psychologically described choices made by human agents about how they will act. This key development in basic physical theory is applicable to neuroscience. This book explores this new framework.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary management of all aspects of traumatic brain injury (TBI), combining the findings of several recent randomised controlled trials investigating the role of hypothermia, erythropoietin, intracranial pressure monitoring and decompressive craniectomy in the management of TBI. The book is divided into four sections: the first section covers the epidemiology of TBI, the changing global patterns of presentation, and the basic pathophysiology and classification, while the second discusses contemporary management of TBI, from pre-hospital care, emergency assessment, and medical and surgical management to rehabilitation and social reintegration. The third section then examines the evidence gained from recent clinical trials that have investigated the efficacy of management strategies involving intracranial pressure monitoring, multimodal monitoring, hypothermia, erythropoietin, thromboembolic prophylaxis and decompressive craniectomy. Lastly, the fourth section explores the ethical issues, both at the societal level and on an individual basis. Written by a broad range of experts, this book provides a valuable reference resource for neurosurgeons, intensivists, clinicians with ethical experience and pure bioethicists in their daily work.

This introduction to quantum brain dynamics is accessible to a broad interdisciplinary audience. The authors, a brain scientist and a theoretical physicist, present a new quantum framework for investigating advanced functions of the brain such as consciousness and memory. The book is the first to give a systematic account, founded in fundamental quantum physical principles, of how the brain functions as a unified system. It is based on the quantum field theory originated in the 1960s by the great theoretical physicist, Hiroomi Umezawa, to whom the book is dedicated. It poses an alternative to the dominant conceptions in the neuro- and cognitive sciences, which take neurons organized into networks as the basic constituents of the brain. Certain physical substrates in the brain are shown to support quantum field phenomena, and the resulting strange quantum properties are used to explain consciousness and memory. This change of perspective results in a radically new vision of how the brain functions.

Brain Injuries—Advances in Research and Treatment: 2012 Edition is a ScholarlyPaper™ that delivers timely, authoritative, and intensively focused information about Brain Injuries in a compact format. The editors have built Brain Injuries—Advances in Research and Treatment: 2012 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Brain Injuries in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Brain Injuries—Advances in Research and Treatment: 2012 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of how axons and dendrites develop is a fundamental problem in neuroscience and a main goal of research on nervous system development and regeneration. Previous studies have provided a tremendous amount of information on signaling and cytoskeletal proteins regulating axonal and dendritic growth and guidance. However, relatively little is known about the relative contribution and role of cytoskeletal dynamics, transport of organelles and cytoskeletal components, and force generation to axonal elongation. Advancing the knowledge of these biomechanical processes is critical to better understand the development of the nervous system, the pathological progression of neurodegenerative diseases, acute traumatic injury, and for designing novel approaches to promote neuronal regeneration following disease, stroke, or trauma. Mechanical properties and forces shape the development of the nervous system from the cellular up to the organ level. Recent advances in quantitative live cell imaging, biophysical, and nanotechnological methods such as traction force microscopy, optical tweezers, and atomic force microscopy have enabled researchers to gain better insights into how cytoskeletal dynamics and motor-driven transport, membrane-dynamics, adhesion, and substrate rigidity influence axonal elongation. Given the complexity and mechanical nature of this problem, mathematical modeling contributes significantly to our understanding of neuronal mechanics. Nonetheless, there has been limited direct interaction and discussions between experimentalists and theoreticians in this research area. The purpose of this Frontiers Research Topic is to highlight exciting, and important work that is currently developing in the fields of neuronal cell biology, neuronal mechanics, intracellular transport, and mathematical modeling in the form of primary research articles, reviews, perspectives, and commentaries.