New research into the long-term consequences of sports-related brain injuries such as concussion will be presented at a free talk in Napier this month.
Neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray leads a ground-breaking New Zealand study using the brains of former athletes donated to the sports brain bank initiative of the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank.
The free event is held by the Neurological Foundation as part of Brain Awareness Month, postponed from March due to Covid-19. Each year the foundation takes researchers on the road to celebrate and connect with the supporters who make their research happen.
Dr Murray is a sportswoman herself, and is currently captain of the Ice Fernz, New Zealand's national women's ice hockey team.
"Having seen many of my team-mates suffer multiple concussions, I have a keen interest in understanding the changes that are associated with these injuries and how they may lead to dementia later in life," she says.