This year, to launch the Ian Tucker Foundation, we are raising money for the Brain Foundation to provide a research grant for a person, or persons, whose research focus is sports-related brain injuries. The Brain Foundation will provide the necessary mechanism through which the Ian Tucker Foundation may identify and evaluate potential recipients.

Ian Tucker Foundation financial donors may expect a semi-annual update on how the research is progressing and on the activities of the Foundation.

The Brain Foundation was established in 1970 by the Members of the Australian Association of Neurologists (AAN) and the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (NSA) 'to further the prevention and treatment of diseases of the nervous system with a view to reducing morbidity, human suffering and mortality'. The Brain Foundation is a national, non-government, non-profit organisation, managed by its members and is a public company limited by guarantee. Any individual or corporation may apply to become a Member.

Mission

The mission of the Foundation is to reduce the incidence and impact of disorders of the brain through the provision of support, community education and research.

Disorders of the brain include Alzheimer's disease, autism, brain and spinal cord injuries, brain aneurisms, brain tumours, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, head injury, Huntington's disease, migraine and headache, motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, Parkinson's disease, peripheral nerve disease, stroke, Tourette's syndrome, vertigo and balance disorders.

Governance

The Brain Foundation is a national body, the National Office being located in Sydney and being administered by the New South Wales Branch. The National Board of Directors comprises a President Mr Tony Grey and up to nineteen other Directors (both medical and non-medical) ensuring that there is a least one representative for each state branch/board and representatives of the AAN and the NSA. It is the responsibility of the Board to control the operations and activities of the Foundation. The day to day running is the responsibility of the National and State Directors.

The Brain Foundation has supported hundreds of research projects relating to many disorders, diseases and injuries of the brain. Brain Foundation grants have helped to discover:

• a new treatment for migraine based on the discovery of the relationship of a chemical transmitter serotonin to migraine
• new surgical methods of stopping tremor and other involuntary movements
• a serum which contains ApoE4, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
• a method of detecting and correcting blood vessel spasms following strokes, injuries and operations
• a procedure which enables brain tumours to be identified more readily and provide a check on complete removal of tumours using ultrasound
• that the gene for a common form of inherited neuropathy causing weakness of the hands and legs lies on chromosome 17
• a method of analysing the tremor of Parkinson's disease to distinguish it from other causes of trembling
• the gene responsible for compression paralysis in families with sensitivity of peripheral nerves to pressure.

Long-term research supported by the Brain Foundation includes a study of the natural history of Parkinson's disease and its response to treatment.

The Brain Foundation has been responsible for many diverse support and community education programs. The Foundation is the leader in stroke and migraine support programs and was the first organisation to increase the awareness of stroke as a national problem. The Foundation introduced Stroke and Migraine Weeks.

Current Activities of the Brain Foundation

Support programs

The Foundation is committed to supporting people with a disability due to brain injury or neurological disorders and their carers, to live as independently as possible in the community and works on a philosophy of empowering clients by assisting them to make informed decisions about service provision.

Programs include:

• phone counselling for people affected by brain injuries and diseases especially migraine
• stroke support scheme using volunteers trained in stroke prevention strategies
• programs for non-English speaking background communities in relation to ABI services (when funding available), ABI education and stroke prevention
• support for self-help groups
• support for carers such as respite programs, counselling and education
• case management services

Community education

Programs include:

• production of educational publications, particularly concerning strokes and migraine, and their distribution to both the general community and hospitals, community health centres, medical practitioners and the media
• 'Brainwaves' newsletter for people who have been affected by brain related diseases and other interested parties (currently being reintroduced)
• awareness weeks such as national migraine and stroke weeks
• workplace stroke prevention program
• speakers bureau - lay and medical
• information service

Research

The Brain Foundation provides annual grants for research into diseases, disorders and injuries of the brain. All grant applications are reviewed by the Brain Foundation Medical Advisory Committee (Dr K.F Bleasal AO, Prof David Burke, A/Prof Nick Dorsch, Prof. Michael Halmagyi, Prof. James Lance AO CBE).

Current grants include: