A recent paper published in the journal Experimental Neurology establishes that the basic building blocks of brain tissue — axons — are different in male and female brains.  Female axons are smaller and have fewer microtubules.  This makes female brains more susceptible to injury than are male brains, when subjected to the same physical trauma.  Simply put, male brains have evolved to function better after trauma.  Don’t be smug, men.  An anvil can take a lot of pounding, too.

What’s important from the legal perspective is that this adds another explanation as to why women tend to be hurt worse than are men by the same trauma.  Women on average have comparatively less muscular, more slender, and longer necks than men.  Thus, mechanically they suffer more whiplash than men in the same physical event (because their heads will “whip” more than men’s).  Now we also know that their brain tissue itself is more fragile.  Thus, even with a non-whiplash type force, women will tend to suffer more brain damage.

Hack defence doctors routinely claim that the female Plaintiff is exaggerating, or has “psychological overlay” (modern version of 1950’s “hysterical“) — based on his assertion that “such an event should not cause the trauma claimed by the Plaintiff”.  Leave aside the issues of the hack doctor simply lying for money (discussed in many of these blog articles).  Leave aside the issue of “should not” is not the same as “did not“.  Now we can show that virtually every study on which the defence doctor says he relies, is not applicable to women.  Nearly all studies have only male volunteer victims.  Since male brain tissue itself is different from female brain tissue, those studies can not be used to describe what happens to women.

If you or anyone you know is a woman who is suing for a brain injury, please make sure your lawyer is aware of this study.  I will be happy to forward a copy to any lawyer who asks for it.