Saving stroke victims among neurological leaps made possible from donations.
One in three New Zealanders will be affected by a neurological condition in their lifetime.
Small wonder, as there are more than 700 conditions that can strike and research is the key to combatting them – everything from dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis to cerebral palsy, brain cancer and migraine.
Yet, according to Dr Sarah Schonberger, Head of Research at the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, there is a major imbalance at play.
Health research is underfunded – only 0.7 per cent of New Zealand healthcare allocations go on research. Many health professionals believe it should be more than three times that. Meanwhile the Foundation operates without government funding, relying entirely on donations to help battle conditions that touch more than 1.5 million New Zealanders.
“If we think about all the people we know who have experienced a stroke, dementia, epilepsy, developmental disorders, brain injuries, concussions, even migraines. Neurological conditions touch everyone in numerous ways,” she says, “whether directly experienced or through knowing someone who has.”
So the foundation is embarking on its annual fundraising drive and Schonberger gives the example of a “revolutionary” procedure saving the lives of stroke victims as a direct result of investing in research.
Through its VJ Chapman Fellowship, promising neurologists can travel overseas to acquire valuable research experience and learn state-of-the-art techniques. Early fellowship recipient Dr Alan Barber studied for his PhD in stroke treatment at Royal Melbourne Hospital, before introducing Auckland Hospital’s groundbreaking clot retrieval procedure for stroke victims.
Using a catheter threaded into the brain, doctors can remove large clots that have caused strokes, significantly limiting damage and preventing death. Already this has given thousands of people a second chance at life and one in five return home as healthy as they were before the stroke occurred. Importantly, this procedure is now accessible to people across New Zealand, not yet the case in many other Western countries.
Current fellowships include research into early-onset dementia and a new treatment for multiple sclerosis. Schonberger says, “These early career neurologists learn how to be research-active clinicians and, when they return, they are able to establish specialised clinics or introduce new treatments for neurological conditions. It’s incredibly exciting.”
The foundation emphasises collaboration between researchers, scientists, clinicians and patients as essential to success. Initiatives like the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank connect families willing to donate brain tissue after death with researchers, expediting discoveries. Patients also generously donate tissue from neurosurgical procedures to advance understanding of conditions such as brain cancer and epilepsy.
Recently, this collaboration has expanded to include the Sports Human Brain Bank, examining the impact of head injuries in contact sports like rugby and soccer on brain health and diseases like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Other research projects the foundation is backing include making teenage rugby safer through evidence-based guidelines for play, unravelling the mysteries of rare childhood disorders, growing brain cells from patient skin samples to enable targeted research, and repurposing existing drugs for new treatments.
Crucially, it only focuses on research that can be implemented through the public health system. “We’re interested in what can be available for all people, not just those who can afford private care,” says Schonberger.
However, funding game-changing concepts requires significant resources. The foundation operates independently, using donations to sustain its work. Since its establishment, it has awarded over $70 million in research funding but there’s an urgent need for continued support.
“We’ve had comments made that the growth of neuroscience research in New Zealand has mirrored the growth of the foundation. We’re investing about $5 million a year, which is amazing, but the need is far greater.”
For those who’ve experienced the effects of a neurological condition first hand, there’s no doubt about the importance of the foundation’s work.
Christchurch man Wilbur Morrison, first diagnosed with a brain tumour at eight before suffering further problems in his teenage years, is an avid supporter and fundraiser. “I know how much neurological research can change someone’s life; it changed mine. If I can make a small change in someone’s life 20 years from now, then that’s all the reason I need.”
There are plenty of ways for people to donate to or get involved with the foundation. For more information, visit neurological.org.nz