Biomechanical response of the human brain to low-intensity blast: a finite element study of single and repeated exposures

Abstract

Repetitive low-intensity blast (LIB) exposure has been identified as a probable cause of mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury (mbTBI) and a chronic injury risk to U.S. military personnel. However, the human brains biomechanical response to this loading regime remains poorly characterized. Using blast-exposure-validated 3D models of human anatomy, we simulated the intracranial tissue response to blast pressure typically experienced by Warfighters during weapons training. Two scenarios were evaluated, a single-dose exposure and a repetitive-dose exposure, to study intracranial pressure (ICP), shear strains, and spectral content. Ansys LS-DYNA was used to generate planar blast waves with peak overpressures of 4-90 kPa and positive phase durations of 2.2-10 ms. Single exposures produced ICP ranging from 4.7-112.7 kPa, dependent on dose and positive phase duration. Under repetitive LIB exposure, peak ICP increased by 8-26% relative to single exposures, with an increase of high-frequency components (>2 kHz). These results demonstrate that LIB can produce measurable intracranial responses that are amplified through repetition, producing pronounced spectral content and elevated pressures despite low strain levels. This study underscores the need to further investigate cumulative dose effects and the value of computational approaches to clarify hypothesized mbTBI mechanisms in operationally relevant conditions.