Sonia Gray

But in order to benefit those lives, you need a team of very clever people from a range of disciplines.

One of them is Paul's colleague at Matai, neuropsychiatrist Gil Newburn.

Gil works with world-leading technology every day.

So it was ironic that before our interview, I couldn't even get the Zoom call to work properly.

Can you still hear me?

How's that?

I don't want manageable, though, Gil.

I want perfect.

I hate technology so much.

People, especially those in Tairawhiti, are central to Gil's kaupapa, and he's not afraid to challenge long-standing ideas if it means better outcomes for people.

But at the Matai Medical Research Institute, he's found a place that encourages innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Gil plays a big role in several of the research projects at Mātai, including the ADHD fidgeting study.

Many of the research participants are adolescents from Taidawhiti, who are part of a longitudinal study.

And these early findings are evidence that in order to think, these kids need to move.

It's well established from other studies that ADHD brains tend to have low prefrontal cortex activation.

But what hadn't been established is there's actually an easy fix.

Many teachers intuitively know this stuff, even if they don't necessarily know the biology behind it.

Movement, or even better, aerobic exercise, boosts dopamine activity by increasing blood flow to the brain.

But also, just as importantly, it boosts something called BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor.