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

The I-Function And Alzheimers Disease Where is The Person?Alzheimers 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(prenominal) a frightening disease, for both the longanimous and their family members, is the loss of self associated with the dementia. Those afflicted with AD cant 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 character 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 needful 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 p ersonality 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 Alzheimers disease on the personality of AD patients suggests that the notion of an I-function within the brain regulating personality is quite reasonable. Alzheimers disease causes the death of large numbers of brain cells over a menstruation of time thi... ...heimers.html(2) Grobstein, Paul. Lecture-Neurobiology and Behavior. Bryn Mawr College. January 29, 1998 (3) DEMENTIA (ALZHEIMERS) AMERICAN DESCRIPTION http//www.mentalhealth.com/p20-grp.html(4) ... http//neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/Alzh eimersDiseaseF/Kash77.htmlA(5) ... http//neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/AlzheimersDiseaseF/%20didyoufindananswer.html(6) DEMENTIA (ALZHEIMERS) 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