Mechanical Properties of the Cranial Meninges: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The meninges are membranous tissues which are pivotal in maintaining homeostasis of the central nervous system. Despite the importance of the cranial meninges in nervous system physiology and in head injury mechanics, our knowledge of the tissues' mechanical behaviour and structural composition is limited. This systematic review analyses the existing literature on the mechanical properties of the meningeal tissues. Publications were identified from a search of Scopus, Academic Search Complete and Web of Science and screened for eligibility according to PRISMA guidelines. The review details the wide range of testing techniques employed to date and the significant variability in the observed experimental findings. Our findings identify many gaps in the current literature which can serve as a guide for future work for meningeal mechanics investigators. The review identifies no peer-reviewed mechanical data on the falx and tentorium tissues, both of which have been identified as key structures in influencing brain injury mechanics. A dearth of mechanical data for the pia-arachnoid complex was also identified (no experimental mechanics studies on the human pia-arachnoid complex were identified), which is desirable for biofidelic modelling of human head injuries. Finally, this review provides recommendations on how experiments can be conducted to allow for standardisation of test methodologies, enabling simplified comparisons and conclusions on meningeal mechanics.

An in vitro study of micromechanics, cellular proliferation and viability on both decellularized porcine dura grafts and native porcine dura grafts

“…In soft matter, when the indentation rate increases, it takes less time to dissipate energy, eventually increasing the stiffness [ 32 ]. When the thickness is inconsistent, the indentation rate changes the moduli [ 29 – 31 ]. Loading in the compressive stress state locally under micro indentation is likely the reason for the resulting different moduli values from uniaxial global compression tests.…”

“…Subsequently, the force gradually decreased during unloading [ 27 , 28 ]. Towards the end of unloading, the force turned negative due to tissue adhesion, but it returned to its initial value once the indenter separated from the sample [ 29 – 31 ]. LabVIEW software was utilized to analyze the indentation data.…”

Silicate Microfiber Scaffolds Support the Formation and Expansion of the Cortical Neuronal Layer of Cerebral Organoids With a Sheet-Like Configuration

“…Another possibility is the physical support from SiF. Meanwhile, the fate specification of pluripotent stem cells into the cerebral cortex excluding non-neural lineage leads to adverse effects on the development of mesenchymal structures (eg, meninges) in COs. 41 SiF scaffolds might fill in for them and protect against physical injury during long-term spinner culture.…”

A Machine Learning Approach to Investigate the Uncertainty of Tissue-Level Injury Metrics for Cerebral Contusion

“…Indeed, various studies have reported that porcine gray and white matter might display different stiffness, although these differences seem to depend on the testing conditions (Prange and Margulies, 2002;Gefen and Margulies, 2004;van Dommelen et al, 2010;Elkin et al, 2011;Kaster et al, 2011;Li Z. et al, 2020). Moreover, integrating the pia mater with the underlying brain tissue might underestimate the protective role of the innermost meningeal layer, which exhibits a higher elastic modulus than the brain (Li Y. et al, 2020;Walsh et al, 2021). While it is generally agreed upon that gray matter shows an isotropic behavior, it has been reported that white matter exhibits a degree of anisotropy in regions with significant axonal fiber alignment such as the corpus callosum (Prange and Margulies, 2002;van Dommelen et al, 2010;Feng et al, 2017).…”

“…Here, we assumed that the porcine brain and DAM have the same frictional behavior against metal. Only one hemisphere was considered in the FE model; therefore, we constrained the out-of-sagittal plane linear and rotational motion of the medial side of the DAM to mimic the presence and mechanical role of the falx (Walsh et al, 2021). In a similar way, given the distance from the area of influence to the impacting probe, we simplified the presence of the diencephalon, the brainstem, and the cerebellum by constraining any translation of the inferior part of the DAM.…”