Fig. 1.

In vitro model: dynamic stretch injury of axons.

Pulsed air pressure introduces uniaxial stretch on patterned longitudinally arranged axon tracts, simulating stretch injury of CNS axons during head trauma. (a) The culture well contains a deformable membrane onto which primary cortical neuronal cells are plated. (b) Two separate populations of cells are separated by a lithography fabricated micro-patterned barrier. Axonal processes extend through the 2 mm microchannels to integrate with the opposing population of neurons, thus creating a unique axon-only injury region. (c) Upon controlled delivery of air into a sealed chamber, the subsequent pressure change within the chamber allows the regionally specific deflection of the axon-only region.