[BrainPower Download Link
Stephanie Dejoode
The Brainpower Connection is a circle of support, influence, and collegiality established in connection with six different institutions, their faculties and students, to share their brainpower. A shared vision, shared faculties, and shared facilities help break down the walls that traditionally separate elementary schools, high schools and universities.
The College Connection and Early College programs offer eligible high school students the opportunity to enroll in college courses for dual enrollment or dual credit and accelerate their pathway to UIW and post-secondary education at a reduced tuition rate.
As Catholic educational institutions, we are rooted in the Gospel of Christ and the doctrines and traditions of the Catholic Church. Our voluntary association provides us an opportunity to collaborate among and between ourselves to promote the mission and ministry of our respective schools. We commit ourselves to coordinate programs and activities and to integrate resources among our member institutions to enhance the faith and the learning experiences of our students, faculties and staffs.
The Brainpower Connection is a circle of support, influence, and collegiality established in connection with seven different institutions, their faculties, and students, to share their brainpower. A shared vision, shared faculties, and shared facilities help break down the walls that traditionally separate elementary schools, their high schools, and universities. Blessed Sacrament Catholic School has been a member of the Brainpower Connection since January 2019.
Each Eighth Grade graduate Brainpower Connection graduate, including those from Blessed Sacrament, accepted at St. Anthony Catholic High School or Incarnate Word High School receives a $1,5000 renewable scholarship beginning in the Ninth Grade.
Employees of St. Anthony Catholic High School, Incarnate Word High School, and the University of the Incarnate Word are eligible for tuition discounts when enrolling their children at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. To qualify for this discount, Brainpower Connection employees must complete Brainpower Annual Tuition Awards Application Form and return it to the School Office.
Rigorous academic opportunities include a high school math partnership for Algebra I-ready Eighth Grade students and a dual-credit College Connection program, including health career pathways, on the University of the Incarnate Word campus.
Our 2023 Thanksgiving Food Drive will take place next week and will benefit our Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry! Our Food Pantry depends on he generosity of our parish school to sustain itself during the holiday season. Thank you for opening your hearts to those most vulnerable in our parish!
The New Jersey State League of Municipalities is a voluntary association created to help communities do a better job of self-government through pooling information resources and brainpower. It is authorized by State Statute, and since 1915 has been serving local officials throughout the Garden State. All 564 municipalities are members of the League. Over 560 mayors and 13,000 elected and appointed officials of member municipalities are entitled to all of the services and privileges of the League.
Loss of general thinking ability happened much faster in stroke survivors who had high blood glucose in the years after their health crisis, even after accounting for other things that might affect their brainpower, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
The researchers adjusted the data for differences in age, income, education, use of tobacco and alcohol, body mass index, heart disease and kidney function, and use of medications to treat high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Post-stroke blood sugar measurements were taken an average of two years after their first stroke; about 20% of the study participants were taking diabetes medication before their stroke. None of the factors was linked to a faster loss of memory or executive function, which measures complex decision-making ability.
Levine notes that the new study suggests the need for clinical research to test whether tight glycemic control in stroke survivors reduces post-stroke cognitive decline and dementia in those with and without diagnosed diabetes.
Tight glycemic control has been shown in people with diabetes to reduce small blood vessel complications in the eyes, kidney and nerves. Tight glycemic control might also decrease small blood vessel disease in the brain, but this is unproven.
In addition to Levine, who heads the Cognitive Health Services Research Program program at Michigan Medicine and is a member of the Comprehensive Stroke Program, the research team includes senior author and medicine professor Rodney Hayward, M.D., and an international team of collaborators from multiple institutions. Levine, Hayward and co-authors Jeremy Sussman, M.D., M.Sc., Emily Briceno, Ph.D., Mellanie Springer, M.D. are all members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation; other U-M authors are Bingxin Chen, M.S., Andrzej Galecki, M.D., Ph.D., Rachael Whitney, Ph.D., Robert Ploutz-Snyder, Ph.D., and Bruno Giordani, PhD.
Whether you want to optimise your nutrition for exam success or stay sharp in work meetings, paying attention to your diet can really pay off. Although there's no single 'brain food' to protect against age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's or dementia, thinking carefully about what you eat may give you the best chance of optimising your cognitive health and maintaining a positive outlook.
Although studies are in early stages, there is suggestion that adequate dietary amounts may help to relieve depression, and that low DHA levels in particular may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer's and memory loss.
Useful plant sources include flaxseed, soya beans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and their oils. However, the body has to convert this plant source into the active form and sadly that process is far from efficient. Oily fish on the other hand provide the active fats in their ready form, this means the body can use them more easily. Oily varieties of fish include salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards and kippers.
Evidence accumulated at Tufts University suggests the consumption of blueberries may be effective in improving or delaying short-term memory loss. The study examined the effects of including wild blueberry juice daily for 12 weeks. A similar effect may be achieved from including a variety of other dark red and purple fruits, like blackberries, and vegetables such as red cabbage in your diet. These colourful fruits and vegetables contain plant compounds called anthocyanins that have a protective and anti-inflammatory effect.
A study of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment found that after two years of intervention with high doses of B6, B12 and folic acid they presented with significantly less brain shrinkage compared to a subset who were given a placebo.
Choose B-rich foods such as eggs, as well as chicken, fish, leafy greens and dairy. If you're vegan, look to fortified foods, including plant milks and breakfast cereals or consider a supplement. Other useful vegan sources of B vitamins, including B6, include fortified nutritional yeast as well as avocado, soya, nuts and seeds.
Optimal vitamin C levels are thought to increase mental vitality, and some research suggests that a deficiency may be a risk factor for age-related brain degeneration including dementia and Alzheimer's. Furthermore, interesting studies demonstrate that vitamin C may be useful for managing anxiety and stress.
Rich in zinc, a mineral needed for enhancing memory and thinking skills, pumpkin seeds are also a useful source of stress-busting magnesium, B vitamins and tryptophan, the precursor to the good mood chemical serotonin.
Broccoli is a useful source of vitamin K, which is known to enhance cognitive function and improve brainpower. Researchers have also reported that because broccoli is high in compounds called glucosinolates, it helps slow the breakdown of the brain chemical, acetylcholine, which we need to keep our brains and memories sharp.
Sage has long had a reputation for improving memory and concentration. Although most studies focus on the essential oil derived from sage, it may still be worth consuming fresh sage too. Add at the end of cooking to protect the beneficial oils.
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that an adequate intake of vitamin E may help to prevent cognitive decline, including memory loss particularly in the elderly. Nuts are a valuable source of this vitamin, along with leafy green vegetables, asparagus, olives, seeds, eggs, brown rice and wholegrains.
Don't forget that as well as a healthy diet, physical activity including exercise helps to keep your brain sharp. Research suggests that regular exercise improves cognitive function, slows down the mental aging process and helps us process information more effectively.
Although research linking diet and dementia is still in its infancy, there are a few important relationships between nutrients and brain health that are worth exploring. Having a nourishing, well-rounded diet gives our brain the best chance of avoiding disease. If you know your diet to be unbalanced for whatever reason, you may want to consider a multivitamin, a mineral complex and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement to help make up some of the essentials.
Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a BANT Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including Good Food.
All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
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