TUE 19 MAY, 6PM - 7.30PM
TE MATA TAIRONGO AUDITORIUM, LEVEL 2
The Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Auckland Museum Institute are delighted to present the 2025 Rutherford Medal recipient, Emeritus Distinguished Professor Cliff Abraham FRSNZ, in a special public lecture.
How does our brain remember – or forget? What happens to the nerve cells in our brain to cause this? In this lecture, Professor Abraham will speak about our mysterious brains, and ideas for new treatments emerging from the discoveries made by his research team.
How the brain stores memories has long been mysterious. Intensive research over decades has revealed the mechanisms that change connections between nerve cells in the brain and allow memories to be stored. These mechanisms are affected by a variety of internal and external signals, from genetics to environmental stressors. Importantly, this knowledge helps explain memory decline in neurological disorders, leading to revolutionary ideas for new treatments.
The Rutherford Medal is the highest honour awarded by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in Aotearoa New Zealand. It recognises pre-eminent research, scholarship, or innovation. This talk is hosted by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, with support from the Auckland Museum Institute.
Confocal microscopy image showing newly born nerve cells (in green) in a memory storage region of an adult animal's brain.