We don’t have a spare: keeping a healthy brain
We track our steps, monitor our sleep and count our calories, but how often do we think about the health of the organ that makes us who we are – the brain? In this talk, Professor Hanneke Hulst explores what ‘brain health’ actually means and answers questions such as: Why do we feel mentally exhausted after a busy day? Why does stress affect our thinking? And what can we do to keep our brains healthy as we age?
As the talk moves from the basics of how the brain is organised to the often invisible impact of neurological disorders, you will hear what modern science is teaching us about keeping our brains resilient throughout life.
A blend of neuroscience and every-day examples, Henneke’s talk invites you to think differently about the most important and complex organ we have – because in the end, we only have one brain.
Bio
Professor Hanneke Hulst is Director of the Centre for Brain Research. She is a clinical neuroscientist specialising in brain health and the cognitive and invisible consequences of neurological disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis. Her research focuses on cognition, fatigue, brain resilience and quality of life, with the aim of improving outcomes that matter in everyday lives. Before moving to New Zealand, she was Professor of Neuropsychology in Health and Disease at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Event
Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm @The Birdcage, 133 Franklin Road, Freemans Bay, Auckland 1011
The other talk at this location is Beholding beauty: how art changes the brain at 7:30pm – 8:30pm
