Position Statement
People cannot properly recall an
incident that occurred in the
midst of a medical crisis.
A person’s cognitive ability can
be defined by left or right brain
dominance.
A person can change aspects of
their personality by focusing on
more right or left brained tasks.
People who have mental illness
or brain trauma should donate
their brains upon their death.
Support for Position
When an individual is put in
immediate danger it may
make it harder to remember
the accident and to put the
shock behind them. “The
normal thing is that the
person doesn’t remember the
moment of the accident or
right after,” said clinical
psychologist Javier
Rodriguez. This is because
the mind and the body go in
a more alert but also more
stressed state, with actions
and thoughts which can save
your life, but harm your
mind’s memory-making
abilities.
According to the theory of left-
brain or right-brain dominance,
each portion of the brain
controls various types of
thinking. Additionally, people
are thought to favor one type of
thinking over the other.
Most individuals have a
distinct preference for one of
these styles of thinking.
Some individuals are more
whole-brained and equally
adept at both modes. This
also suggests that two
different modes of thinking
are due to more right or left
brained tasks.
The more brain tissue donated,
the more advances which can
be made toward cures,
preventions, and treatments for
future generations.
Support Against Position
Contrary, many disagree with
this statement due to traumatic
memories and triggers which
have occurred due to a
medical crisis. The
international Society for
Traumatic Stress studies
states, “At the time of a
traumatic event, the mind
makes many associations with
the feelings, sights, sounds,
smells, taste and touch
connected with the trauma.
Later, similar sensations may
trigger a memory of the event”.
Researchers have scientifically
proven that right-brain/left-
brain theory is a myth.
However, its popularity
continues. Because many
individuals are unaware of this
outdated position, many
magazines and articles still
publish quizzes and surveys
showing which brain dominance
the reader has.
Science shows that there is no
such thing as right or left brain
dominance due to activities. An
example of this is speech which
is typically controlled by the left
hemisphere but can be
relearned in the right
hemisphere if there is damage
to the left.
Brain tissue donation can be a
long process to become a
donor. Due to this, many
individuals choose not to
donate their brains because of
this process.
 The medical community should
revisit its policy toward how to
treat stroke patients.
Emergency treatment with
medications quickly restore
blood flow to the brain. The
quicker this medication is
administered the better
chances the patient has for a
full recovery.
Statistics show that only ten
percent of stroke victims make
a full recovery. Fifteen percent
die due to complications and
ten percent require constant
medical attention in nursing
homes due to their stroke. Due
to this many believe the
standards should change.

Works Cited:

Newer, R. (n.d.). Why Can’t Accident Victims Remember What Happened to Them? Retrieved

from http://psychology.usf.edu/faculty/data/ddiamond/baby-sy.pdf

Recovered Memories of Childhood Trauma. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.istss.org/public-

resources/remembering-childhood-trauma.aspx

Cherry, K. (2009, August 19). Left Brain vs. Right Brain: The Surprising Truth. Retrieved from

https://www.verywellmind.com/left-brain-vs-right-brain-2795005

NIMH » The NIH NeuroBioBank: Addressing the Urgent Need for Brain Donation. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2017/the-nih-

neurobiobank-addressing-the-urgent-need-for-brain-donation.shtml