numerical simulation of a neuron under blast load using viscoelastic material models

Traumatic brain injury (tbi) is usually caused by physical brain injury. the present study proposes a computational model that considers the response of a neuronal cell under blast loading. the neuronal cell consists of four components including nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, and a network of microtubules with different arrays such as crossing, stellate, and random orientations. this study investigates the effect of sub-cellular components, specifically the network of microtubules, on the consequences of a tbi, which can be regarded as a novel innovation. while nucleus, cytoplasm, and membrane were assumed viscoelastic, the network of microtubules exhibited elastic behavior. finite element methods and uid-structure interactions were employed to solve the coupled equations of both solid and fluid. the results showed that the presence of a network of microtubules, regardless of the types of arrays, could reduce the total displacement of the cell and von mises stress, as well. in this study, the membrane von mises stress decreased by 50% from 30 to 15 pascal in the presence of the network of the microtubules. the obtained results could be used in different fields including treatment of some diseases and pathological conditions such as kidney stones, sports injuries, traumatic astronauts, and ultimately prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries.