Using Computational Neuromechanics to Study Brain Health
Johannes Weickenmeier, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Center for Neuromechanics
Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey
April 13th, 2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
https://weillcornell.zoom.us/j/95836848969
Passcode: 057486
The brain is our most complex organ and provides many scientific opportunities for engineering disciplines; yet, despite the obvious role of mechanics on the cell-level all the way to the organ-level, neuromechanics remains understudied. My research integrates experimental and computational methods to study the mechanobiological behavior of the human brain, with a particular interest in myelination during development, brain swelling during stroke, and the structural changes associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In this talk, I will introduce our computational approaches to simulating brain behavior during swelling, growth, aging, and degeneration. Our simulations predominantly build on anatomically accurate reconstructions of the brain and differentiate between gray matter, white matter, and fluid spaces. We develop multiphysics models that couple relevant biological mechanisms and mechanical response, i.e., tissue loading, swelling, and shrinking , depending on the application. Our applications have provided fundamental new insight into brain behavior and can be used to inform clinicians about long-term brain changes. Our models realistically reproduce hallmark features of cerebral atrophy during aging, the spatiotemporal progression patterns of biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases, and the onset locations of white matter lesions due to mechanical overloading of the lateral ventricular wall. Our work is useful in identifying and systematically studying disease mechanisms with the overall goal to monitor brain changes in the clinical setting, support the development of intervention strategies, and move towards in silico clinical trials.
Johannes Weickenmeier is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the director of the Center for Neuromechanics at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Dr. Weickenmeier leads the Soft Matter Biomechanics laboratory, which combines medical image analysis, mechanical testing, and numerical methods to understand and predict soft tissue behavior. His group’s current work focuses on understanding and developing physics-based models that describe brain changes during healthy aging in Alzheimer’s disease, and in multiple sclerosis. For more information: www.weickenmeierlab.com or @weickenmeierlab.
This seminar series aims to create and sustain collaborations between clinicians and researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine who have interests in brain injury. To join the listserv please send an email to sut2006 at med dot cornell dot edu.
Sudhin A. Shah, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in Radiology
Brain Health Imaging Institute
Weill Cornell Medicine
sut2006 at med dot cornell dot edu
Tracy Butler, M.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology in Radiology
Brain Health Imaging Institute
Weill Cornell Medicine
tab2006 at med dot cornell dot edu