Reply to comment

Like my classmate I also wondered whether or not the "I" function, or the conscious part of the brain, is something used among neurobiologists. A Google search did not return many results relating to "I" Function, but I came across an interesting web report from a previous Neurobiology and Behavior student. Jennifer Webster's "Addiction and the Reward Circuit" (2000) stated that although human consciousness is not the primary mechanism of addiction, the "I" function is responsible for overcoming the forces of addiction before they overcome the whole body. Webster described the behavior of heroin addiction, and that the psychological aspects of withdrawal can be confronted through altering the behaviors associated with ingesting the drug. She thought that the cure for addiction was time, and that with time the equilibrium point for the neurotransmitters of the reward circuit will return to their pre-addiction levels.

Although Webster's use of "I" function was interesting, I was also fascinated that her paper was being used as a teaching aid for the Nashua School District (NH). This information should be comforting to the previous student's preoccupation that our classroom conversations do not intersect with those of other neurobiologists (even if these neurobiologists are high school students!).