Focal mechanical injury induces astrogliosis in a 3D tissue engineered culture model

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the largest cause of death and disability in young adults in the Western world [1]. The pathophysiology that follows a TBI leads to expansion of the initial lesion and symptoms such as cognitive and motor dysfunction. Astrogliosis has a main role in this pathophysiology. In vivo studies show that mechanically induced TBI triggers astrogliosis, with the astrocytes closest to the lesion site displaying a highly ramified morphology and expressing high levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) [2]. Studies have shown that the absence of the astrocytes worsens the outcome of TBI in mice [3]. We have established a novel model to investigate the astrocyte response to a focal mechanical injury in vitro.