What if CTE isn’t simply something we discover after death? What if the science is beginning to show us how it develops, where to look, and one day, how we might intervene?
In this episode of The Knock-On Effect, Adam Wood and Cliff Butler sit down with renowned neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research.
Helen brings a rare perspective to the conversation. She studies repetitive head impacts, CTE and neurodegeneration, but she is also a former captain of New Zealand’s national women’s ice hockey team and still plays the sport herself.
This is a fascinating and unexpectedly optimistic discussion about what scientists are actually seeing inside the brain.
Helen explains why "one concussion does not equal CTE", how repeated head impacts may cause microscopic damage over time, what the "tau protein" tells researchers, and why "inflammation and astrocytes" could prove critical to understanding how CTE develops.
We also explore whether CTE may eventually be detectable in living people, how MRI and PET imaging are evolving, how AI is accelerating brain research, and why Helen believes her work could have implications beyond CTE, including Alzheimer’s disease.
And then there are the rams.
Helen explains why naturally headbutting sheep may provide researchers with one of the best models yet for answering a question sport desperately needs answered:
How much head impact exposure is too much?
Most importantly, this is not a fear-based conversation about sport.
It is about understanding risk, improving brain health, and using better science to make sport safer.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Helen’s unique athlete-scientist perspective
07:31 Concussion protocols, culture and grassroots sport
12:25 What CTE actually is, and how it differs from concussion
19:30 The history of CTE and what scientists see in the brain
27:16 Can CTE be diagnosed while someone is alive?
29:08 Painting the brain: tau, astrocytes and inflammation
38:46 Could inflammation be the key to diagnosis and treatment?
42:59 What can people do for their brain health now?
47:40 Could this research also help Alzheimer’s and other diseases?
50:02 The future of CTE research, imaging and funding
56:08 How AI is accelerating neuroscience
59:14 Why headbutting rams could help answer “how much is too much?”
01:05:45 How Helen manages her own risk while still playing sport
01:09:38 Support, education and where the research goes next
LINKS & RESOURCES
University of Auckland – Centre for Brain Research
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/fmhs/research/our-research-centres/fmhs-university-research-centres/cbr.html
New Zealand Sports Human Brain Bank
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/fmhs/research/our-research-centres/fmhs-university-research-centres/cbr/facilities/sports-human-brain-bank.html
Headway Brain Injury Auckland
https://headway.org.nz/
Dementia New Zealand
https://dementia.nz/
Melbourne Headache + Concussion Group
https://melbourneheadacheconcussion.com.au/
Safeguarding You
https://safeguardingyou.com/
The Knock-On Effect is where concussion meets conversation.
Hosted by Adam Wood and Cliff Butler, the podcast brings together scientists, clinicians, athletes and people with lived experience to better understand concussion, repetitive head impacts and the future of brain health in sport.
If this conversation matters to you, subscribe, share it, and help us keep the conversation moving.
This podcast is for education and discussion purposes only and is not individual medical advice.
#CTE #Concussion #BrainHealth #Neuroscience #HelenMurray #SportsScience
