Dear Reader,

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We welcome you with open arms as you join us for this edition of Grey Matters, the culmination of months of effort across the summer and fall semesters of 2024. This publication marks a monumental shift in the history of Grey Matters CU, the first without the founding individuals that ignited an initiative to break down the barriers to neuroscience within our institution and beyond. It feels as if only yesterday I met my pod members for the first time to begin writing my first article, and in the blink of an eye, found myself leading an organization that has come to mean an ever-increasing amount to myself and all my fellow members. Words are unable to capture my gratitude for the almost eighty board members, editors, writers, and illustrators that have made this concerted effort, one that captures the ebbs and flows of the complex times we find ourselves in.

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Our issue commences with the psychological dynamics underpinning the New York Times game – Connections, and the interplay between context and decision-making. We then delve into a series of pieces addressing topics of social anxiety, dissociation, and the biological link between mind and body, poignant reminders that the implication of self is a synergy of psyche and external factors. In tune with ebbs and flows, we then proceed with a series of pieces putting forth novel therapeutic interventions – the manifestation of positive outcomes through positive thought, the increasingly relevant role of psychedelics as pharmacological treatments, and the potential for small molecule nanobodies to circumvent the biological difficulties of treating brain pathologies.

The issue approaches the end with pieces addressing neuropathic pain, neurodegeneration, and the troubling history of psychiatric medication – pressing topics that continue to drive scientific efforts and innovation. We end with the interplay between neuroscience and film production, staging the ways in which the cinema reaches into the darkest crevices of our souls. 

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For many of us, our connection to the world flutters in the wind, as we navigate uncertain political and social climates both domestically and abroad. We hope that this body of work epitomizes the complexity inherent in all domains of endeavor, and postures the present as an opportunity for cooperativity in both scientific and non-scientific realms. As individuals, it is our duty to conserve the threads upholding the integrity of humanity, an undertaking achievable through a collective effort for progress. 

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​With abundant optimism and hope,

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Kevin Rostam

Editor-in-Chief