Centre for Brain Research

01/12/2025

Last week we held a special “This Is Your Life” farewell of sorts for Sir Richard Faull, who over the past 15 years has shaped the Centre for Brain Research into a world-leading neuroscience hub.

Richard is an inspirational, visionary leader who leaves a lasting impression on everyone he meets. His passion and enthusiasm for the brain, and for people, is extraordinary. The farewell was a chance for the CBR community to honour and acknowledge Sir Richard. Thank you to the dozens of heartfelt video messages, written tributes, and to everyone for keeping the surprise under wraps until the very last minute!

Sir Richard is ‘stepping aside’ into an ambassadorial role with the CBR, and will continue his service to communities and strengthening Māori involvement in brain health.

As we look ahead, we’re delighted to welcome Professor Hanneke Hulst as our new Director. Hanneke brings expertise, warmth, and a commitment to improving the lives of those affected by neurological conditions.

Ngā mihi nui, Sir Richard, and nau mai, Hanneke – we’re excited for this next phase at the CBR.

29/11/2025

From guiding lifesaving surgery to detecting dementia early, imaging is behind it all.

We were thrilled to be part the biggest showcase of NZ’s best MRI and brain imaging research in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. Thanks to the Mātai Medical Research Institute for leading this inspiring kaupapa.

23/11/2025

The natural head-butting behaviour of rams is giving researchers a unique way to study how repeated head knocks might affect the human brain.

🧠 Led by Dr Helen Murray, the project aims to better understand conditions like CTE, and will take place at the Ngapouri Research Farm Laboratory in South Waikato.

💛 Helen's research is proudly supported by the Dame Rosie Horton Fellowship, established by philanthropist Michael Horton to continue Dame Rosie’s legacy of championing medical research and social causes.

After completing her Neurological Foundation of NZ Senior Research Fellowship, Helen will take up the Dame Rosie Horton Fellowship late next year, continuing this vital work.

Rams, which frequently butt heads, will provide Auckland University's centre for brain research a model population to study.

12/10/2025

Brain Bee 2025 has been a huge success, with dozens of brilliant young minds now (hopefully) hooked on neuroscience as a possible career. “A day in the life of a neuroscientist” internships took place at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research and the University of Otago’s BrainSTEM. Huge thanks to our supporters, and all the amazing researchers who engaged with the students, for helping inspire the next generation! 🧠

18/09/2025

We were thrilled to join the Neurological Foundation of NZ for the inaugural Dementia Roadshow 🫶. Senior Research Scientist Erin Cawston and PhD student Harriet Spoelstra shared some of the latest advances in dementia research with a packed room of enthusiastic locals.

A few takeaways from Erin and Harriet’s presentations:

🔬 New blood tests – cutting-edge technology now allows measurement of key dementia-related proteins, such as p-tau217, down to a single molecule.

🧪 Building a national blood biobank – Erin is helping create a large-scale resource of blood samples from Dementia Prevention Research Clinic participants to track changes and discover new biomarkers over time.

🧠 Brain imaging breakthroughs – advanced MRI and PET scans are revealing new insights into amyloid and tau buildup in the brain years before symptoms appear.

🌿 Inflammation and vascular changes – Harriet’s PhD research is showing how inflammation and vascular damage contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, and how these blood markers change over time.

Together, their work is moving New Zealand closer to earlier detection and better support for people living with mate wareware/dementia 👏

17/09/2025

As part of our dementia/mate wareware kaupapa, we were warmly welcomed to Huria Marae in Tauranga for an open kōrero about brain health and the support available to whānau. We were blown away by the response. Thank you to everyone who shared stories – your insights help shape our research so it reflects the needs and aspirations of Māori communities.

The visit is part of a nationwide outreach to marae led by Associate Professor Makarena Dudley and Sir Richard Faull, whose goal is to bring kōrero about dementia into Māori spaces. Thank you to the Neurological Foundation of NZ CEO Rich Easton who joined us to share more about the Foundation’s mahi, and to Poutiri Wellness for the awesome photos below.

08/09/2025

If you live in or near Tauranga, this is for you!

Can we Stay One Step Ahead of Dementia?
📍 Trinity Wharf, Tauranga
📅 Wednesday, 10 September
🕕 6:30pm

Dr Erin Cawston and PhD candidate Harriet Spoelstra from the Dementia Prevention Research Clinic in Auckland will share their groundbreaking work on detecting the earliest signs of dementia.

This free in-person event hosted by the Neurological Foundation of NZ is a chance to hear directly from two of New Zealand’s most promising dementia researchers, ask your own questions, and learn how science is helping us understand and prevent dementia earlier than ever before.

See what events we have coming up, and even add your own for consideration.

05/09/2025

Meet the incredible Dr Justin Rustenhoven, who is on a mission to discover a drug that could help people recover from traumatic brain injury.

Justin recently received a $1.2 million Health Research Council grant to drive forward research into this condition, which affects around 35,000 New Zealanders every year.

Read more about his journey from a postdoc in the US to leading his own lab at the Centre for Brain Research here in Aotearoa:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/09/01/quest-for-a-cure-for-brain-injuries-gains-1m-grant.html

Finding a drug that will help people recover from brain injuries is front of mind for University of Auckland senior research fellow Dr Justin Rustenhoven.

04/09/2025

🎉 And that’s a wrap on AWCBR 2025!
The biggest neuroscience conference in Australasia took place in Ōtautahi Christchurch this week, bringing together brain researchers from across New Zealand and Australia.

Here’s a snap of some of our early career and post-doc researchers who presented their work - a glimpse of the exciting future of brain research and the talent coming through at the CBR. 🧠✨

01/09/2025

A new clinical trial at the Centre for Brain Research, in collaboration with the Pacific Clinical Research Network, is testing a potential treatment for a rare form of muscular dystrophy. For people living with this condition, it offers something they haven’t had before — hope.

A groundbreaking genetic treatment for a rare form of muscular dystrophy is being trialled at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research.

26/08/2025

Great to see Professor Maurice Curtis, a former Thames High School student, back in Thames sharing the latest on Parkinson’s research with the Rotary Club.

Fascinating talk by Professor Maurice Curtis at the Rotary Club of Thames. An old boy of Thames High School, Professor Curtis now leads a team of scientists working on methods for the early detection and diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease at the Centre for Brain Research in Auckland.

25/08/2025

What if we could turn skin cells into brain cells to better understand and treat multiple sclerosis? That’s exactly what Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman and her CBR team are closer to achieving thanks to a successful Health Research Council of New Zealand grant.

Amy received the Emerging Researcher First Grant for promising researchers at the start of their careers.

She was one of 7 CBR research to have secured over $7.4 million from the HRC to tackle some of the biggest challenges in brain health.

Here’s a snapshot of the funded projects:

Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman, Prof Bronwen Connor, Dr Jennifer Pereira – $400,000
Developing a human oligodendrocyte platform to model multiple sclerosis and create NZ’s first MS skin cell repository.

Prof Bronwen Connor, Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman, Dr Jenny Malmström, Prof Louise Parr-Brownlie, Dr Bruce Harland – $1.2 million
Using 3D bio-fabrication and cell replacement therapy to restore brain function in Huntington’s disease.

Dr Emma Scotter, Assoc Prof Richard Roxburgh, Dr James Cleland, Dr Nicole Edwards and team – $1.19 million
Investigating NOTCH2NLC-related brain and muscle disease, partnering with Māori whānau to improve diagnosis, care, and treatment.

Dr Joanna Hikaka, Miss Tuakana August, Prof Ngaire Kerse, Dr Alana Cavadino, Mr Iriapa Williams – $1.2 million
Developing new community-led models of aged care, beginning in Wairoa where aged residential care services have closed.

Dr Victor Dieriks, Dr Christina Buchanan, Dr Justin Rustenhoven, Dr Viswas Dayal and team – $1.2 million
Harnessing tears as a simple, low-cost test for earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Justin Rustenhoven, Prof Michael Dragunow, Dr Simon O’Carroll and collaborators – $1.2 million
Targeting brain scarring after traumatic brain injury to restore waste clearance and improve recovery.

Dr Angus Grey, Dr Julie Lim, Prof Paul Donaldson, Prof Charles McGhee and team – $1.2 million
Studying how diabetes leads to cataract development, aiming to reduce the burden of diabetic eye disease.