Woody Woodpecker doesn't have brain damage.

Sent to screwdriver by Jan,
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Doc was watching woodpeckers in our backyard today and had a very good question.
Why don't woodpeckers get brain damage?
Well, the internet is chock full of all kinds of information, so I did a quick search, using the search term
"how do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?"

One of the interesting responses included some info that supports my hatred of heavy helmets. We've talked about the rotational tearing before.. diffuse axonal injury

Please keep in mind that when making my case, I prefer to intentionally avoid use of words such as crash or accidents, since the idea of planting any thoughts of carnage on the roadways sends legislators into a "we've got to do something about this" panic. Therefore, I only stick to legal issues and demanding my right to decide. I'll file this away in my tool box to be used a a possible non-carnage example, if someone insists on talking about scientific studies,... and of course, that recent accusation by the IIHS that the NHTSA relies on junk science may also come in helpful. :-)
Jan
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=1435

In the late 70's, a study carried out by Philip May, Joaquin Fuster, Jochen Haber and Ada Hirschman, using high-speed photography (capable of taking 2000 frames a second), revealed that the impact deceleration when a woodpecker's beak slams into a surface can exceed one thousand times the force of gravity (1200g).
With repeated trauma of this magnitude it's surprising that the bird's head remains attached to its body, never mind developing brain damage. As an aside, the researchers did note from their photographs, however, that their study subject, a tame acorn woodpecker, did take the precaution of closing his eyes prior to each strike !
But there are a number of woodpecker-specific adaptations which make the practice of repeatedly slamming your head against a hard surface slightly more tolerable.
Firstly, woodpeckers have relatively small brains which, in contrast to a human, are packed fairly tightly inside their skull cavity. This prevents the excessive movement of the brain inside the skull which causes so-called 'contre-coup' injuries (literally brain bruising) in humans. These occur when the brain bashes into the skull following a knock on the head. In other words the head stops, but the brain keeps on moving.
Also, because the brain is small it has a high surface area to weight ratio, meaning that the impact force is spread over a much larger area, relatively speaking, compared with a human. Again, this minimises the applied trauma.
Finally, the woodpecker always ensures that he strikes his target in a dead straight line. This approach avoids placing rotational or sheering stresses on the nerve fibres in the brain. Humans involved in car accidents frequently develop the symptoms of 'diffuse axonal injury' where sudden deceleration coupled with rotation literally twists the different parts of the brain off each other like a lid coming off a jar. By hammering in a dead straight line woody woodpecker avoids giving himself DAI, further minimising the risk of brain damage. Such an approach may have implications for the design of protective head gear - such as crash helmets - which could be modified to prevent rotational injuries.
Unfortunately, we're just not adapted to beat our heads against walls, trees, or even paving slabs, with half the impunity of a woodpecker. Definitely a case of "don't try this at home".
Happy hammering.
Thank You, For Sharing,Screwdriver