Brain Tissue Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Brain tissue is a complex multiphase material. Its mechanical behaviour arises from the inherent viscoelastic nature of the neural and supporting cellular components and their interaction with the vasculature and interstitial fluid. Brain behaves as a very soft, highly nonlinear viscoelastic solid. It has been mechanically characterised in shear, tension and compression, but despite decades of research into its behaviour, there is still considerable debate about its precise mechanical properties. This chapter aims to present the most reliable mechanical data for brain tissue, and to explain how this behaviour is affect by age, disease and a range of experimental conditions under which mechanical measurements are made.