Research That Matters We have supported two research projects: Brain Recovery and Preparedness in Adolescents using Imaging after a Rugby season (Brain-RePAIR) update Kumanu Tāngata: The AfterMatch Project $75K INVESTED IN 2024 RESEARCH THAT MATTERS Brain Recovery and Preparedness in Adolescents using Imaging after a Rugby season (Brain-RePAIR) update by Josh McGeown, PhD., Senior Research Fellow, Honorary Research Fellow, Anatomy & Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Neurological Foundation First Fellowship In March 2025, the BrainRePAIR study entered its second year. This project is aimed at making the game safer by using instrumented mouthguards and advanced brain scans to study how repetitive head impacts and concussion affect brain health, but more importantly, by understanding how the brain recovers after injury. This project is jointly supported by New Zealand Rugby Foundation, Hugh Green Foundation, and Neurological Foundation and is a collaborative effort between scientists at Mātai Medical Research Institute, University of Auckland, University of Otago, and Auckland University of Technology. So far, over 50 First XV rugby players and their whānau have partnered with the Research Team to discover how to make the game safer for current and future generations. A major goal of the study is to identify how long the stand-down times and the off-season should be to allow the brain to heal after a concussion or season of rugby, respectively. 40 ANNUAL REPORT 2024
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