biostudies-literatureSeano GNIBIB NIH HHSEuropean Research CouncilNHLBI NIH HHSNCI NIH HHSNINDS NIH HHSNIH HHS230-245https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6452896biostudies-literatureUnknown3(3)The compression of brain tissue by a tumour mass is believed to be a major cause of the clinical symptoms seen in patients with brain cancer. However, the biological consequences of these physical stresses on brain tissue are unknown. Here, via imaging studies in patients and by using mouse models of human brain tumours, we show that a subgroup of primary and metastatic brain tumours, classified as nodular on the basis of their growth pattern, exert solid stress on the surrounding brain tissue, causing a decrease in local vascular perfusion as well as neuronal death and impaired function. We demonstrate a causal link between solid stress and neurological dysfunction by applying and removing cerebral compression, which respectively mimic the mechanics of tumour growth and of surgical resectNature biomedical engineeringSolid stress in brain tumours causes neuronal loss and neurological dysfunction and can be reversed by lithium.PMC6452896F31 HL126449R01 CA129371758657P01 CA080124U01 CA224348R01 HL128168R35 CA197743P41 EB015903F32 CA216944R01 CA208205R01 CA214913P30 CA014051P30 NS045776P50 CA165962DP2 OD008780Askoxylakis VEmblem KEBatchelor TTNia HTPadera TPFukumura DGrodzinsky AJKrishnan SHuang PHo WWJain RKGhosh MGerstner ERBaish JWRen JDatta MPinho MCRiedemann LFerraro GBLin NUKloepper JSeano GWen PYMunn LLfalseSolid stress in brain tumours causes neuronal loss and neurological dysfunction and can be reversed by lithium.The compression of brain tissue by a tumour mass is believed to be a major cause of the clinical symptoms seen in patients with brain cancer. However, the biological consequences of these physical stresses on brain tissue are unknown. Here, via imaging studies in patients and by using mouse models of human brain tumours, we show that a subgroup of primary and metastatic brain tumours, classified as nodular on the basis of their growth pattern, exert solid stress on the surrounding brain tissue, causing a decrease in local vascular perfusion as well as neuronal death and impaired function. We demonstrate a causal link between solid stress and neurological dysfunction by applying and removing cerebral compression, which respectively mimic the mechanics of tumour growth and of surgical resect2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Mar2026-05-04T10:38:23.572Z2019-07-25T07:13:41ZS-EPMC64528963094880710.1038/s41551-018-0334-7