Vegard Vinje: Brain solute transport in multiple compartments

Abstract: Elimination of substances from the brain is believed to occur by a combination of convection and diffusion. In previous work, transport along perivascular spaces around blood vessels have been explicitly meshed and modeled, and also 1D-3D models have been used to model the interaction between blood and brain tissue. A problem with both these approaches is that it requires spatial information of all blood vessels within the brain and in addition may result in a computationally expensive system to solve. In this talk, I will introduce a homogenized model of transport in the brain, also taking into account transfer between different compartments (like blood and brain tissue) within the brain. Fluid flow in and between compartments are modeled with the mulitple-porosity elasticity theory (MPET), while transport within and between compartments are modeled with convection-diffusion equations. I will further show preliminary results from our model and compare with experimental data obtained in a glioma (brain tumor) patient, where transport between blood and brain is typically altered.

This talk is part of the Mechanics Lunch Seminar series. Bring-your-own-lunch and lots of questions.