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PROFESSOR NICK DRAPER Professor of Sport and Exercise Science and junior rugby coach Professor Nick Draper from the University of Canterbury leads a two-year study into the potential of World Rugby-approved headgear to reduce collision forces at amateur level. As well as providing new information about the number and size of collisions in rugby, it focuses on female athletes. Some wear World Rugby headgear and others choose not to. Like Josh’s research, the players have pre- and post-season MRIs along with neurocognitive assessments, and wear instrumented mouthguards during training and matches. The Neurological Foundation funds the portion of the research involving participants from Prebbleton U17 and Christchurch Girls’ High School 1st XV. More recently, additional funding from Pacific Radiology Group and from the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust was secured to include Selwyn Schools Combined 1st XV in the study. “No research exists for teenage rugby players in these important areas of athlete safety and health,” says Professor Draper, who is an exercise scientist with a background in rugby and judo. Notably, he managed the British judo team at an Olympic level, and coaches junior rugby in Christchurch. “Rugby union is played by 7.7 million people in 129 countries. Given the significant risk of concussion associated with collisions in rugby, especially for junior players, our research is of wide-reaching significance,” Professor Draper says.  His results will be available early next year. The Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank (which includes the Sports Brain Bank) is one of the most extensive collections of human brain tissue in the world. More about this invaluable resource is on the following pages. The Foundation collaborates with other leading research facilities and support organisations in the pursuit of better understanding of CTE, including: Brain Injury New Zealand Brain Injury NZ offers support and resources to those who are affected by a brain injury and their loved ones. It provides information to help people better understand the condition, and maintains a network of 14 regional support hubs. Both Brain Injury NZ and the Neurological Foundation are part of the Neurological Alliance. All members aim to promote community awareness of neurological diseases and disorders to see that the needs of people with neurological conditions are met. brain-injury.nz/ The Concussion Legacy Foundation The Concussion Legacy Foundation is a nonprofit organisation based in the United States that collaborates with our researchers here. It provides support to athletes, veterans and everyone affected by concussions and CTE with a view to end CTE through prevention and research. UNITE Brain Bank The UNITE Brain Bank at Boston University is the largest tissue repository in the world focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and CTE. It contains more than 1,300 brains, including over 700 brains that have been diagnosed with CTE. The Australian Sports Brain Bank The Australian Sports Brain Bank’s vision is for Australia to be a nation that recognises and acts on CTE and other brain disorders associated with repetitive head injury. It is using donated tissue to try and understand why some individuals get CTE and others don’t. Headlines 7