Wearable passive sonar for cavitation detection in the brain
Abstract
Research Problem: Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has become a signature wound of modern military activities and the lea,ding cause of death and long-term disability among U.S. soldiers. Modern body armor can protect warfighters against shrapnel from ex,plosive blasts but cannot prevent shockwave-induced bTBI. Approximately 60-80% of military personnel exposed to an explosion are sub,jected to shockwaves with sufficient pressure to induce bTBI. Healthcare costs for TBI in the U.S. military population have risen fr,om $21 million in 2003 to $646 million in 2010. Shockwave-induced microcavitation is gaining increasing support as one of the key me,chanisms for bTBI. However, we lack a noninvasive cavitation detection technique for reliable microcavitation detection in the brain,. This has been the major roadblock for investigating the microcavitation mechanism. Technical Approach: The Navy is familiar with c,avitation. It is one of the major causes of the progressive breakdown of ships propellers, and the sound emitted when cavitation bu,bbles burst can give away the submarines location. Similarly, microbubble collapse in brain tissue also emits sound, which can be d,etected by passive listening to the sound emissions with sensitive ultrasound sensors. This project will develop wearable passive so,nar for the brain (PSB) that can robustly detect the presence of cavitation in the brain and provide an estimation of cavitation loc,ation and strength.Anticipated Outcomes of this Research: 1.We will develop wearable PSB sensors by integrating numerical simulation, with experimental validation. 2.We will develop low-power electronics for wearable PSB signal acquisition and processing. 3.We wil,l evaluate the performance of wearable PSB, which integrates the wearable sensors with the wearable electronics using a human head p,hantom. Naval Relevance: The developed wearable cavitation sensors can be used to provide direct evidence of shock wave-induced cavi,tation in the human brain during blast wave exposure. These data can be used to assess the risk of cavitation-induced brain injury a,nd guide the diagnosis and treatment of bTBI. *Approved for Public Release*
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 13, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142212537
Entities
People
- Hong Chen
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Washington University in St. Louis