Te Huinga Hinengaro

He kōrero whakapuaki

Director's address

Tēnā tātou katoa,

It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome you to the inaugural issue of the Centre for Brain Research’s newsletter - Te Huinga Hinengaro. We thought the Māori name for the CBR a fitting title for our newsletter, as it encapsulates the heart of our mission, the people who make our work possible.

It speaks to the “gathering of minds” – not just in the physical sense, but in the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual realms. This name is a reminder that our work is not done in isolation; rather, it is a collective effort that draws on the strengths, knowledge, and experiences of a diverse range of people. From researchers and clinicians to whānau, iwi, and community members, Te Huinga Hinengaro symbolises the shared purpose that drives us forward.

This year is particularly special as we prepare to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Centre for Brain Research – a milestone that reflects our enduring commitment to advancing brain health research and making a meaningful impact on the lives of New Zealanders.

Since its establishment in 2009, the Centre has grown into a world-class research hub, bringing together scientists, clinicians, and communities to address some of the most pressing brain health challenges of our time. Over the last 15 years, our research has expanded across neurodegenerative diseases, neurological disorders, mental health, and innovative therapies. This anniversary is a time to reflect on the progress we’ve made and to look forward to the next chapter of our journey.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone – from our researchers and clinicians to our community and supporters – who have contributed to our successes. It is through your dedication and unwavering commitment that the Centre for Brain Research can continue to lead, innovate, and inspire.

Mauri ora,

Richard
Director, Centre for Brain Research
Te Huinga Hinengaro
The University of Auckland

Ngā kōrero whakahira

Highlights

Creating a buzz

Pictured: Students who participated in the North Island Brain Bee challenge enjoying the "Meet the Scientist" event

Spending a day as a neuroscientist was a dream come true for 15-year-old St Cuthbert’s College student Jessica Wu.

She was among the 25 top-scoring Year 11 students to take part in CBR’s
annual Brain Bee challenge, securing a highly coveted Neurological
Foundation Brain Bee Internship.

The interns spent a day immersed in real-world research, visiting labs and
meeting neuroscientists.

“It was so incredible meeting so many passionate people in their various fields of medicine and research, and I am immensely grateful I had the opportunity to have had this experience. It is one that I will remember well into the future as both an aspiration and a form of motivation,” Jessica said.

Jessica placed third in the competition overall. Janie Kim from Macleans College emerged as the 2024 North Island Brain Bee champion, with second place going to Yu Na Lim from Carmel College.

Janie and the South Island Brain Bee winner will compete for the title of the New Zealand Brain Bee champion, who will progress to the international final.

A huge thank you to Associate Professor Debbie Young, who coordinates the North Island event to help encourage bright young minds to pursue a career in neuroscience.

Australasian Winter Conference for Brain Research (AWCBR)

Pictured left to right: Helen Murray, Chelsie Osterman and Danica Hamlin

The 2024 Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR), held in Tāhuna - Queenstown, featured groundbreaking contributions from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research (CBR).

This annual gathering brought together leading scientists to share insights on pioneering brain research, with the CBR team making impactful contributions in multiple sessions, spotlighting novel insights across neurodegeneration, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

This year's conference showcased CBR researchers’ efforts to decode the unique pathology of CTE, a neurodegenerative condition linked to repeated head injuries.

Presentations from Dr Helen Murray's team included studies using advanced techniques such as multiplex immunohistochemistry to distinguish CTE from other brain conditions, such as Alzheimer's.

Their findings underline a strong connection between head trauma and chronic brain inflammation, adding to the understanding of CTE’s distinct disease mechanisms.

PhD candidate Chelsie Osterman further expanded on the role of glial cells in CTE, revealing how these support cells respond to trauma-related blood-vessel damage, potentially contributing to brain inflammation and tissue damage over time. Chelsie's strong delivery was awarded the Goddard prize for best student oral presentation.

By deepening insights into CTE’s biological underpinnings, these studies from the CBR are advancing science and moving the field closer to potential diagnostic tools for in-life CTE detection—a vital goal for the safety and well-being of those affected.

Choir Leader and Member Shine with Awards

Alison Talmage pictured on right

Early Career Award for CeleBRation Choir leader

The NZ Association of Gerontology conference presented the "Early Career Award" to Alison Talmage, leader of the CeleBRation Choir. Alison presented an overview of her doctoral study and the handbook she has developed for neurological choir facilitators. The audience responded enthusiastically when invited to sing!

Alison was also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation at Music Therapy New Zealand's 50th Anniversary conference.

Tony Petrasich pictured on left with Richard Faull

Choir member recipient of Emma Castle Award for Excellence in Aphasia

Congratulations to Tony Petrasich, joint winner of Aphasia NZ's 2024 "Emma Castle Award for Excellence in Aphasia". Tony is an active member of the CBR's CeleBRation Choir and "More than Words" Gavel Club. He has contributed to many CBR events, including Brain Day and the (2021) "Art and the Brain" Symposium.

Tony is also Chair of Rodney Aphasia Group and member of Sing Up Rodney, an Orewa group modelled on the CeleBRation Choir.

Funding successes

Associate Professor Miriam Scadeng among CBR researchers awarded Neurological Foundation grant funding.

Congratulations to Dr Erin Cawston, Associate Professor Miriam Scadeng and Dr Helen Murray, who received significant grants from the Neurological Foundation in its latest funding round.

They received a portion of $2.4m invested into outstanding neurological
research at the University of Auckland.

Erin received $279k to advance her groundbreaking work in the Dementia
Prevention Research Clinics to investigate if a simple blood test can detect
abnormal proteins seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

Miriam and Helen are co-PIs on a $295k grant to help validate a
promising new highly-sensitive MRI technique to detect early
inflammation in the brain.

Senior Research Fellowships were also awarded to Dr Rachael Taylor
($296k) to further her study of balance disorders and Dr Sarah Borrie
($282k) to study what goes wrong with the waste clearance system inside
microglia cells during Alzheimer’s disease

Celebrating Excellence: Top Honours and Academic Appointments at Te Huinga Hinengaro

We are proud to acknowledge the incredible achievements of our members at Te Huinga Hinengaro – Centre for Brain Research. Their dedication to advancing knowledge and improving lives has been recognised with prestigious awards and promotions.

Assoc Prof Anna Miles: Received the University of Auckland Research Excellence Medal for her pioneering work on swallowing.
Dr Odunayo (Lola) Mugisho: Honoured with a University of Auckland Early Career Research Excellence Award for her research on the inflammasome pathway in age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr Patrick Savage: Also awarded a University of Auckland Early Career Research Excellence Award for his research on the role of music in social bonding.
Dr Emma Scotter: Awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to Motor Neurone Disease research.

We also celebrate our CBR Principal Investigators, whose promotions took effect earlier this year.

Professor Annette Henderson, School of Psychology
Professor Darren Svirskis, Dept of Pharmacy
Professor Charles Unsworth, Dept of Engineering Science
Associate Professor Joanna Black, School of Optometry
Associate Professor Angus Grey, Dept of Physiology
Associate Professor David Moreau, School of Psychology

Ngā mihi nui to all for your contributions and for continuing to uphold the highest standards of academic and research excellence!

Ā mātou mahi

Our work

Pictured: The Park Lab on a visit to Roma Marae in Ahipara.

Park Lab ki Roma Marae

The Park Lab were the latest researchers to visit Roma Marae in Northland for a hui about brain
cancer.

The CBR also runs a successful dementia mate wareware clinic at Roma Marae, which is located in
Ahipara.

The group, led by Dr Thomas Park and Dr Makarena Dudley (CBR Deputy Director Māori), received a
warm welcome from kaumatua and members of the Te Rarawa community, including whānau
affected by brain cancers as well as medical practitioners.

Dr Park is passionate about equity in research, and is particularly interested in why there is a higher incidence of brain tumours in Māori and Pasifika populations in New Zealand.

He is co-leading a national effort to establish a national brain tumour registry to accurately assess and inform incidence and outcomes of brain tumours in Māori and in rural communities.

Also, a part of his lab is using AI technology to analyse a large dataset of tumours from Māori
communities to uncover why they experience higher rates and worse outcomes for some brain
cancers.

“As researchers, it’s critical that we engage with the communities that are disproportionately
affected by terminal disease,” Dr Park says.

Pictured at the School of Biological Science, the team of scientists who are advancing genetic testing for autism genes (left to right): Associate Professor Klaus Lehnert, PhD student Suzanne Musgrave, Dr Jessie Jacobsen and Professor Russell Snell.

Decade-long autism study provides answers for families

Trailblazing autism researcher Dr Jessie Jacobsen and her team published the results of a landmark 10-year autism study in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand last month.

PhD student Suzanne Musgrave was the paper's lead author, which showed genetic testing should be available for autistic individuals and their families to refine diagnoses.

The research team sequenced the genomes of 201 autistic individuals and 101 non-autistic family members. For some families, it marked the end of a long search for an accurate diagnosis.

“One of the important aspects of this research is that our genetic approach is successful for autistic individuals regardless of neurological differences, including adults who grew up before autism being widely recognised,” says Jacobsen.

In November this year, the CBR plans to launch a state-of-the-art translational autism clinic, reflecting a profound need to improve diagnosis and understanding autism and to connect new research with tailored clinical management for individuals. Read more from Dr Jacobsen in The Conversation...

Listen to Dr Jessie Jacobsen's latest interview with RNZ

Ngā kawepūrongo

In the news

Dementia risk 60% higher for those in deprived areas, research finds

The number of New Zealanders with dementia is expected to double in the next 20 years, with social disadvantages playing a big role.

Director of the Centre for Brain Research, Sir Richard Faull told Kerre Woodham that there are about 14 factors which, when addressed, reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Vision loss and high cholesterol added to list of preventable risk factors for dementia

14 risk factors for dementia have been identified by The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention. They are behaviours and lifestyle factors that can come in to play even in early childhood.

The list previously including things like smoking, traumatic brain injury, and lower education levels. Now vision loss and high cholesterol have been added.

Listen to Dr Helen Murray take on research on modifiable risk factors on Morning Report...

Dementia treatment: Northland marae-based mate wareware
(dementia) clinic trial extended

A groundbreaking marae-based mate wareware (dementia) care clinics established in Kaitāia has been hailed a success after its first six months and extended indefinitely.

The CBR partnered with Northland iwi Ngāpuhi and Te Rarawa, and kaupapa Māori-led health organisation Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi to pilot the clinic aimed at assisting kaiāwhina, carers of people with mate wareware.

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

Our people

Get to know the people who make the work the we do at the Centre for Brain Research possible. In each edition of Te Huinga Hinengaro, we shine the spotlight on one of the incredible researchers that make up the CBR team

This month we talk to Dr Hamid Abbasi, an AI expert with extensive
experience in developing technology-based solutions for challenging
healthcare problems.

Dr Hamid Abbasi is a research fellow at the Auckland Bioengineering
Institute and the Centre for Brain Research. His work is transdisciplinary
and leverages AI in neurosurgical applications and drug discovery for
brain cancer.

He’s also the founder and CEO of Neurofanos, a CBR-grown company
providing AI-driven neuro-navigation technology to help surgeons
navigate complex brain structures in real-time, while conducting high-risk
tasks like removing brain tumours.

What was your PhD in?
I earned my PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of
Auckland in 2018. My research focused on machine-learning algorithms to
diagnose hypoxic-ischemic brain injury at birth, supervised by Professors
Alistair Gunn and Laura Bennet from the Department of Physiology.

What difference do you hope your research can make?
Neurofanos, as an example, is a technology that will help surgeons
navigate the brain during tumour resection, reducing errors and improving
precision. It has the potential to transform neurosurgery by making
complex procedures safer and improving patient outcomes. Another
example is the application of AI in accelerated drug discovery for central
nervous system (CNS) cancer, a project we recently launched at the CBR.

How has CBR helped your career?
Being part of CBR since 2017 has been a privilege. CBR, and in particular
Sir Richard Faull, has offered invaluable opportunities to collaborate with
leading experts in neurosurgery, MRI imaging, and brain cancer research.

What motivates you?
I'm driven by working with several passionate teams and growing
Neurofanos in New Zealand. I’m excited about the future impact of our
projects and the opportunities they will create for the next generation of
brain-tech innovators.

Ngā takunetanga

Upcoming events

The Mind’s Ear and Inner Voice 2025 is a unique transdisciplinary conference focused on the experience of imagining sounds and the role this plays in our inner lives. Most people can imagine hearing sounds that are not physically present, such as a favourite piece of music, the voice of a loved one, or other sounds such as an ambulance siren in their mind’s ear. We can also imagine making sounds, especially speech with the inner voice in our head.

The aim of The Mind’s Ear and the Inner Voice 2025 is to forge new insights and improved understanding of auditory imagery and its role in thinking, memory and creativity by providing a forum for transdisciplinary exchange of ideas, theories and research findings. We invite submissions to The Mind’s Ear and Inner Voice 2025 from scientists, philosophers, scholars in the humanities and from artists, especially musicians, poets and writers who share a fascination with the question of how we experience the sounds in our head.

Find out more about the Mind's Ear and Inner Voice conference

Whakapā mai

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