Pfister Bryan J, Chickola Larry, Smith Douglas H
Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2009 Dec;30(4):339-45. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e318187e0c9.
The risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) while riding roller coasters has received substantial attention. Case reports of TBI around the time of riding roller coasters have led many medical professionals to assert that the high gravitational forces (G-forces) induced by roller coasters pose a significant TBI risk. Head injury research, however, has shown that G-forces alone cannot predict TBI. Established head injury criterions and procedures were employed to compare the potential of TBI between daily activities and roller coaster riding. Three-dimensional head motions were measured during 3 different roller coaster rides, a pillow fight, and car crash simulations. Data was analyzed and compared with published data, using similar analyses of head motions. An 8.05 m/s car crash lead to the largest head injury criterion measure of 28.1 and head impact power of 3.41, over 6 times larger than the roller coaster rides of 4.1 and 0.36. Notably, the linear and rotational components of head acceleration during roller coaster rides were milder than those induced by many common activities. As such, there appears to be an extremely low risk of TBI due to the head motions induced by roller coaster rides.
乘坐过山车时创伤性脑损伤（TBI）的风险受到了广泛关注。乘坐过山车前后出现TBI的病例报告使许多医学专业人员断言，过山车产生的高重力（G力）会带来显著的TBI风险。然而，头部损伤研究表明，仅靠G力无法预测TBI。采用既定的头部损伤标准和程序来比较日常活动和乘坐过山车时发生TBI的可能性。在3次不同的过山车乘坐、一场枕头大战以及汽车碰撞模拟过程中测量了三维头部运动。对数据进行了分析，并与已发表的数据进行比较，采用了类似的头部运动分析方法。一次速度为8.05米/秒的汽车碰撞导致最大头部损伤标准测量值为28.1，头部撞击力为3.41，比过山车乘坐时的4.1和0.36大6倍多。值得注意的是，过山车乘坐过程中头部加速度的线性和旋转分量比许多常见活动所诱发的要轻。因此，因过山车乘坐所诱发的头部运动导致TBI的风险似乎极低。
