The I-Function And Alzheimers Disease: Where is The Person? Essay

The I-Function And Alzheimer's Disease: Where is The Person? Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a serious form of dementia that involves the destruction of brain cells, and ultimately leads to death (1). What makes AD such a frightening disease, for both the patient and their family members, is the loss of "self" associated with the dementia. Those afflicted with AD can't understand the changes going on within themselves. Family members are upset by the loss of the "person" they once knew. It is common for daughters (for example) to say that a mother in the later stages of AD is not their "mom" because the personality displayed by the patient is so different from the personality they associate with "mom". In order to decide how the sense of "self" of an AD patient is affected by the disease, it is necessary to decide what constitutes personality. In this discussion, the set of behaviors that an individual associates with the self of that individual will be considered as expressions of the personality of the individual. There is strong support for the idea that personality is controlled by the functions of the central nervous system (CNS) (2). The specific area(s) of the CNS that controls the "self" can be labeled the I-function (2). An examination of the sense of "self" of a paraplegic suggests that the I-function may be specifically related to the functions of the brain, however, other areas of the CNS may still be involved with the I-function (2). The study of the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the personality of AD patients suggests that the notion of an I-function within the brain regulating personality is quite reasonable. Alzheimer's disease causes the death of large numbers of brain cells over a period of time; thi... ...heimers.html (2) Grobstein, Paul. Lecture-Neurobiology and Behavior. Bryn Mawr College. January 29, 1998 (3) DEMENTIA (ALZHEIMER'S): AMERICAN DESCRIPTION http://www.mentalhealth.com/p20-grp.html (4) ... http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/AlzheimersDiseaseF/Kash77.htmlA (5) ... http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/AlzheimersDiseaseF/%20didyoufindananswer.html (6) DEMENTIA (ALZHEIMER'S): MENTAL HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY http://www.mentalhealth.com/p20-grp.html (7) Deciphering the Miracles of the Mind , by Robert Lee Hotz of the LA Times http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/SCIENCE/REPORTS/%20THEBRAIN/brain.htm (8) ... http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/AlzheimersDiseaseF/MyFeelingsAboutThis.html (9) Memories in the Making, a program of creative art expression for Alzheimer patients http://www.coa.uky.edu/ADReview/memories.htm