Corina Drapaca

• 
  Mathematical Modeling of Brain Neuro-Mechanics
  Corina Drapaca

  It is well known that mechanical loading and biochemical imbalances can alter brain’s functions and/or structure and lead to neurological diseases. Mathematical models of brain neuro-mechanics can play an important role in highlighting the mechanisms that govern healthy and diseased processes and thus help develop better diagnostic and therapeutic tools. We propose to model the brain as a triphasic composite made of solid, fluid and ionic phases and show some numerical simulations that suggest that normal pressure hydrocephalus could be caused by an imbalance in the salt concentration in the absence of an elevated intracranial pressure. We will also show some numerical simulations of the coupling between the proposed triphasic model and the Hodgkin-Huxley model that permit the investigation of possible linkages between brain’s functionality and mechanical behavior.