Low-cost blast wave generator for studies of hearing loss and brain injury: Blast wave effects in closed spaces

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience methods Vol. 242; pp. 82 - 92
• Main Authors: Newman, Andrew J., Hayes, Sarah H., Rao, Abhiram S., Allman, Brian L., Manohar, Senthilvelan, Ding, Dalian, Stolzberg, Daniel, Lobarinas, Edward, Mollendorf, Joseph C., Salvi, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.03.2015
• Subjects: Animals; Blast Injuries - complications; Blast Injuries - pathology; Blast Injuries - physiopathology; Blast wave generator; Brain Injuries - etiology; Brain Injuries - pathology; Brain Injuries - physiopathology; Cochlea - injuries; Cochlea - pathology; Cochlea - physiopathology; Cochlear hair cells; Disease Models, Animal; Equipment and Supplies - economics; Equipment Design; Hearing loss; Hearing Loss - etiology; Hearing Loss - pathology; Hearing Loss - physiopathology; Hippocampal neurogenesis; Hippocampus - injuries; Hippocampus - pathology; Hippocampus - physiopathology; Low cost; Neurogenesis - physiology; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous - physiology; Pressure - adverse effects; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Traumatic brain injury; PBS; MWM; Traumatic brain injury; DPOAE; IHC; IED; Hippocampal neurogenesis; OHC; Blast wave generator; PCB; Cochlear hair cells; Hearing loss; Low cost; DCX; TBI; PVC
• ISSN: 0165-0270; 1872-678X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.01.009

•Many devices used in animal models of blast wave exposure are large and expensive.•We developed a low cost blast wave generator easily housed in laboratory settings.•The generator reliably produced blasts with peak pressures of up to 198dB SPL (159.4kPa).•Exposure of rats to blast waves caused damage to the inner ear and hippocampus.•This low cost device is useful for studying blast induced ear and brain injury. Military personnel and civilians living in areas of armed conflict have increased risk of exposure to blast overpressures that can cause significant hearing loss and/or brain injury. The equipment used to simulate comparable blast overpressures in animal models within laboratory settings is typically very large and prohibitively expensive. To overcome the fiscal and space limitations introduced by previously reported blast wave generators, we developed a compact, low-cost blast wave generator to investigate the effects of blast exposures on the auditory system and brain. The blast wave generator was constructed largely from off the shelf components, and reliably produced blasts with peak sound pressures of up to 198dB SPL (159.3kPa) that were qualitatively similar to those produced from muzzle blasts or explosions. Exposure of adult rats to 3 blasts of 188dB peak SPL (50.4kPa) resulted in significant loss of cochlear hair cells, reduced outer hair cell function and a decrease in neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Existing blast wave generators are typically large, expensive, and are not commercially available. The blast wave generator reported here provides a low-cost method of generating blast waves in a typical laboratory setting. This compact blast wave generator provides scientists with a low cost device for investigating the biological mechanisms involved in blast wave injury to the rodent cochlea and brain that may model many of the damaging effects sustained by military personnel and civilians exposed to intense blasts.