EDITOR'S NOTES 

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Dear Reader,

Welcome to Issue 6! Wherever this issue of Grey Matters CU finds you, I hope you are ready to embark on a journey of discovery, reflection, and reckoning with your own guilty pleasures. This semester, every member of the Grey Matters CU team has contributed
hours of brain-power to craft articles that peer into the inner workings of our everyday behaviors. The wide range of articles contained in this issue all connect in one way: they consider the human experience and how we, throughout life, engage in a vital and symbiotic relationship with our brain.

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Our hobbies and daily activities are tirelessly supported by complex neural processes that occur in the blink of an eye. “Dream a Little (Lucid) Dream” and “Decisions, Decisions...” discuss the intricate processes behind seemingly mundane behaviors like dreaming and deciding. “Lost in Translation” explores the nuances of second language acquisition and the peculiar difficulties one might experience while becoming bilingual in adulthood.

 

This semester we also thought about the evolving ways we can support and protect our brains. Novel depression treatment technology discussed in “Brain Implant Available. Click to Install.” stands beside the age-old dietary advice explored in “MIND-ful Meal.” In contrast, “From Sip to Synapse” and “A Silent Injustice: Lead’s Poison Agenda” analyze decades of research concerning compounds that have detrimental effects on our neural circuitry.

While we take necessary steps to protect them, our brains are also working tirelessly to protect us. “Remembering to Forget” and “Far From the Tree: The Roots of Resilience”delve into the ways our brains cope with challenging situations, and “It’s Nice to Have a
Friend (GMCU’s Version)” validates your desire to scream-sing that Taylor Swift song in your Spotify queue.

I hope you are excited to learn an incredible amount about the neuroscience of daily life. As you read through this issue, I urge you to keep in mind the ways that you can nurture and appreciate the boundless potential that lies within you.

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With love and endless curiosity,

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Isabella Cannava
Editor-in-Chief