DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL MODIFIED WEIGHT-DROP MODEL TO INDUCE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to primary injury, linked to the mechanical contusions, and to secondary injury, involving a cascade of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation events. The weight-drop was the first model used to induce TBI in rodents and consists in a free fall of a weight onto the animal’s head. Many preclinical models have been developed for decades to mimetize the human TBI in animals. To the best of our knowledge, there is still no research with a weight-drop model capable of causing a focal impact using projectiles with a single contact, constrained head, and without surgical interventions in rats.