The underlying mechanisms that lead to cell dysfunction and death after a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) at the molecular and biochemical level have not been extensively modeled in isolated cells.  Biomechanically,  well-characterized models can be used to determine both structural and functional tolerances to prescribed loading conditions. Cellular models exist, yet tolerance data have never been compared among them. Brain tissue and cellular component tolerance may be dependent on several variables, including brain region, cellular orientation, and extracellular matrix. Accurately defined cell and tissue tolerances are crucial for the input and validation of computational models and subsequent design and improvement of protective components. The overall objective of this project is to systematically subject cells and tissue specimens to biomechanically well-defined inputs in order to develop criteria that are model-independent and based on cellular properties.