DOCUMENT

Autumn 2026 9 Virtual injury in young brains Dr Vickie Shim at the University of Auckland has received a three-year Project Grant worth $283K to model how head impacts affect young brains. Her team will use data fromMRI scans of healthy young people who do not play contact sports to create a normal digital model. Then, data will be collected from instrumented mouthguards worn by youth rugby players, allowing the model to learn and forecast the likelihood of injury from both single and repeated impacts, supporting safer decisions around monitoring, training loads and rest periods in youth sport. Improving recovery after concussion Dr Josh Faulkner at Victoria University of Wellington hopes to fill a critical gap in concussion care for those whose symptoms persist despite standard treatment. He has received a three-year Project Grant to test a new therapy called ACTion mTBI. The therapy is a psychological intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that has already shown promise in reducing disability and improving recovery. Developed in partnership with clinicians, researchers and Māori advisors, the approach has been designed specifically for the New Zealand context. If this therapy proves more effective than existing services, the project includes a plan to support national rollout across the health system. Finding telltale ‘fingerprints’ of CTE Dr Christi Essex from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research will work with tissue from the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank to address one of the biggest challenges in CTE – that it can only be diagnosed after death. Currently, CTE is confirmed by examining brain tissue under a microscope. Christi will examine this tissue again using advanced MRI imaging, looking for the unique 'fingerprints' of CTE. If CTE can be detected using MRI imaging, it opens the possibility of diagnosis during life. Christi has received a Neurological Foundation First Fellowship to support her research, and will work with New Zealand’s leading CTE expert Dr Helen Murray. Headlines Issue 150 (2026): Virtual brains, ‘smart’ mouthguards and MRI imaging Three of the eight research grants in our latest funding round were awarded to brain injury research – one using tissue from the Neurological Foundation Human Sports Brain Bank, another using AI and ‘smart’ mouthguards, and a third trialling a promising new intervention to support those suffering long-term symptoms after concussion such as fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. With around 35,000 New Zealanders experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) each year, these projects have the potential to improve the lives of thousands of people.