Researching towards a world without CTE
Australia's only brain bank dedicated to concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy research.
Our mission is to use expert diagnostic neuropathology, coupled with research, to understand chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other brain pathology that is associated with repetitive head injury in sport and elsewhere.
We empower families and loved ones by providing accurate diagnoses, and we use donor tissue for biomedical research into CTE and other brain disorders.
Our vision is for Australia to be a nation that recognises and acts on CTE and other brain disorders associated with repetitive head injury. We will provide help and advocacy for those individuals and families affected.
We are working to achieve our vision through:
Wife of the late NRL player and coach Paul Green, Amanda is passionate about raising awareness of CTE and its symptoms so no one else suffers in silence. With two young sports-loving children, she understands firsthand the importance of the ASBB's research for the next generation of athletes.
As sister of the late AFL player Shane Tuck, Renee has lived experience of how CTE can impact families. She generously donates her time to the ASBB to help educate and raise awareness, and feels passionately about supporting other families going through loss due to this disease.
Wife of the late AFL player and coach Danny Frawley, Anita was determined to find answers to her husband's mental health struggles. She is passionate about prioritising care for retired athletes, and protecting and supporting current athletes during their careers.
Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons is a vocal advocate for player safety and stricter concussion management in Australian contact sports. His stance has generated widespread debate, particularly regarding the long-term impacts of repeated head impacts and the risk of CTE. He advocates for drastic structural changes to make contact sports safer, including the total banning of the kick-off in rugby league to avoid initial, high-impact collisions.
Key moments in CTE research and advocacy since ASBB was established.
The clinicians, scientists, and specialists behind the Australian Sports Brain Bank.
Senior neuropathologist and Head of the Department of Neuropathology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Head of the Molecular Neuropathology Program at the Brain & Mind Centre (USyd), and Co-Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Australia Brain Bank.
Forensic pathologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), where she has been Head of forensic pathology services for the past ten years. She has an interest in forensic neuropathology and post-mortem radiological imaging in forensic pathology practice.
Epigeneticist responsible for the direction and scientific integrity of ASBB tissue research. A world-recognised expert on environmental influence on disease risk, particularly epigenetics, bringing this expertise to the study of CTE to understand the disease and develop ways to diagnose it during life.
A senior research scientist expert in the analysis of large datasets, bringing her experience to the ASBB to spearhead population-based studies on the long-term outcomes of concussion and repeated head injuries in contact sports.
Neurophysiologist who has spent 20 years researching sports-related concussion using electrophysiological techniques, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation, focusing on brain physiology to quantify cognitive and motor impairments from repeated sub-concussive impact exposure.
Clinical nurse consultant with a background in organ transplant coordination. With over 15 years of clinical experience, Monica is committed to improving outcomes through research, providing compassionate advocacy, support, and education for individuals and families affected by CTE.
An act of generosity that helps shape the future of brain health in Australian sport.
Our knowledge on the long-term effects of repeated concussions and sub-concussive injuries is evolving, and while modern technologies such as brain scanning can detect some brain diseases, definitive diagnosis requires analysis of actual brain tissue.
Only through examining the brains of many Australian sportspeople — with and without a history of concussion or other traumatic brain injuries, from amateur to professional levels — will we know the extent of CTE in the Australian sporting population.
Pledging your brain is an act of generosity to help us understand CTE better, contributing to effective guidelines for prevention, identification and, potentially, treatment of concussion and CTE in Australian communities.
Downloadable materials for the community, and the organisations we work alongside.
The ASBB would like to thank our supporters:
The Australian Sports Brain Bank and the Australian Veterans Brain Bank have been established by the Neuropathology Department at RPA Hospital Sydney in partnership with the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, and the Concussion Legacy Foundation in the USA.
Our mission is to use expert diagnostic neuropathology, coupled with research, to understand chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other brain pathology associated with repetitive head injury in sport and elsewhere. We empower families and loved ones by providing accurate diagnoses, and we use donor tissue to facilitate research into CTE and other brain disorders.
