Measurement of blast wave by a miniature fiber optic pressure transducer in the rat brain.

Exposure to blast wave that is generated during an explosion may result in brain damage and related neurological impairments. The aim of this study was to investigate pressure changes induced by exposure to blast inside the rat brain. For intracranial pressure measurement we used a miniature optic fiber sensor (o.d. 550 microm) with a computer recording system. The sensor was placed in the third cerebral ventricle of anesthetized rats exposed to 40 kPa blast wave in a pneumatic-pressure driven shock tube. Short pressure waves lasting several ms were detected inside the brain with the magnitude that might result in nervous tissue damage.