Course Info
Fri 15:00 – 17:30, Zoom
Goals
The brain is our most complex organ, yet it is also the least well-understood. Especially the role of mechanics remains understudied despite several relevant applications, including brain growth and folding during development, traumatic brain injury, surgical intervention, and structural changes associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In this course, fundamental concepts of mechanics such as continuum mechanics, viscoelasticity, growth, buckling, and mechanical experimentation will be used to understand the relation between brain function and form in health and disease. Students will be exposed to advanced concepts of the physiology and mechanical assessment of the nervous system. Learning materials will include lecture presentations, literature reviews, experimental data, and homework assignments. The course will conclude with a final project that may be a literature review, experimental study, or computational study and includes a project report.
Syllabus
| Week | Topic | |
| 1 | Introduction to Brainmechanics | |
| 2 | Brain Anatomy | |
| 3 | Medical Imaging Methods | |
| 4 | Brain Dissection Class | |
| 5 | Dissection Presentations & Neurodegenerative Diseases | |
| 6 | Continuum Mechanics: Tensor Algebra | |
| 7 | Continuum Mechanics: Kinematics | |
| 8 | Continuum Mechanics: Stress & Balance Principles | |
| 9 | Continuum Mechanics: Hyperelastic Materials | |
| 10 | Experimental Brainmechanics | |
| 11 | Finite Element Simulations of Brain Behavior | |
| 12 | Brain Damage (TBI, CTE, DAI) | |
| 13 | Brain Development and Growth | |
| 14 | FINAL PRESENTATIONS |
Grading
- 15% Homework
- 20% Brain Dissection Lab
- 15% Final Presentation
- 50% Class Project