ISSUE 2: Fall 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE
December 20, 2021
We are delighted to welcome you to Grey Matters TU’s second issue. This publication cycle was vastly different from our first. To sum it up with one word: growth. With 17 articles and over 100 undergraduate and graduate contributors, Issue 2 is one of the largest efforts across Grey Matters chapters.
Our Fall 2021 undergraduates were students of neuroscience, biology, psychology, graphic and interactive design, media studies, statistical science & data analytics, actuarial science, and architecture. Truly, this range is a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of Grey Matters itself.
This issue spotlights disorders through articles on Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, Focal Dystonia, and Locked-In Syndrome, to name a few. It highlights the effects of COVID-19 in Out of Focus: The Science of Brain Fog and Running on Empty: How COVID Has Affected Our Social Skills. If you’re interested in prosthetics that previously belonged to a world of science fiction, read Neuroprosthetics and the Bionic Human. If you enjoy music, check out Brain in Harmony: The Role of Music in Rehabilitation of People with Multiple Sclerosis and Musical Memories in Alzheimer’s Patients. Other articles elaborate on questions you might have always wondered about: how reliable are eyewitness testimonies, really? Explore this in The Use of Eyewitness Testimony as Evidence in Criminal Cases. Alternatively, what makes us laugh? Find out in The Laughing Brain.
The breadth of topics within this issue parallels the immense reach of neuroscience as a field. Enjoy the beautiful art and engaging writing below: they are the fruits of a semester’s-worth of hard work. It is our greatest hope that you will find something that sparks your interest and encourages you to grow your own understanding of the brain.
With gratitude,
Nikita Sajeev
Editor in Chief
Social Media and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Focal Dystonia: The Root Causes Underpinning the Yips
Discoveries in the Genetics of Psychiatric Disorders
Neuroprosthetics and the Bionic Human
Neuroscience Behind Anxiety: Cognitive Effects Across Anxiety Disorders
Out of Focus: The Science of Brain Fog
Running on Empty: How COVID Has Affected Our Social Skills
Step Aside Suboxone, There's a New Treatment in Town
Studying into a Sleep Disorder
Brain in Harmony: The Role of Music in Rehabilitation of People with Multiple Sclerosis
Cultural Biases Surrounding the Diagnoses of Mental Illness
The Use of Eyewitness Testimony as Evidence in Criminal Cases
Trapped Within
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: Down the Rabbit Hole
Machine Learning Applications to the Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Musical Memories in Alzheimer’s Patients
The Laughing Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Comedy
Is Myelin Repair Possible?
CONTRIBUTORS
Executive Board: Fall 2021
Nikita Sajeev - Editor in Chief, 2022
Charita Kunta - Managing Editor: Science, 2022
Ashish Abraham - Managing Editor: Lay & General, 2022
Areebah Rahman - Senior Editor: Science, 2022
Aarohi Shah - Senior Editor: Lay, 2022
Olivia Rojek - Senior Editor: General, 2023
Becca Gitlevich - Art Director, 2022
Cristen Post - Layout Director, 2022
Naveen Gedupoori - Website Director, 2023
Ola Szmacinski - Social Media Director, 2024
Dr. Mansi Shah - Faculty Advisor
Authors
Adam Tseng (2025)
Aleena Nasir (2023)
Alyssa Do (2022)
Amber Putman (2025)
Bisman Gill (2024)
Brigham Rhoads (2022)
Caedyn Lipovsky (2025)
Emily Blessley (2021)
Emma LaFaver (2022)
Julia Zortea (2025)
Kathryn Lockwood (2022)
Madison Polidoro (2022)
Nicole Papa (2023)
Stephen Baak (2022)
Tiffany Briscoe (2022)
Tyler Dietterich (2021)
Varsha Shan (2025)
Zachary Murtaugh (2023)
Art Division
Aleena Ataher (2024)
Becca Gitlevich (2022)
Bridget Armstrong (2024)
Caroline George (2024)
Chelsea Sposit (2022)
Cristen Post (2022)
Danni Sigler (2023)
Esther Moola (2025)
Eve Gibson (2023)
Jaya Kohol (2025)
Matthew Jozwik (2023)
Melissa Swanchara (2022)
Molly Barron (2025)
Pushti Shah (2021)
General Editing
Alex Barone (2024)
Alex Comly (2023)
Alexis Bendl (2024)
Bailey Spangler (2023)
Erin Kathlyn Michel (2022)
Georgia Martin (2023)
Jacob George (2024)
Juliana Trifan (2023)
Kal Brown (2023)
Katie Calaku (2024)
Margaret Silva (2024)
Naveen Gedupoori (2022)
Olivia Rojek (2023)
Rose McGrath (2022)
Sama Mehta (2022)
Tiara Bounyarith (2023)
Victoria Ayala (2022)
Vishwanka Kuchibhatla (2022)
Scientific Review
Abigail Jurewicz (2022)
Adi Menon (2023)
Areebah Rahman (2022)
Charita Kunta (2022)
Datta Sai Saketh Kumaar Ayyagari (2025)
Dev Parasania (2025)
Esmeralda Lua (2023)
George Padilla (2022)
Gianna Vitelli (2022)
Gideon Morgan (2023)
Madison Wolf (2023)
Melissa Rosahl (2024)
Nissi Vinnakota (2024)
Pierce Gibson (2025)
Saaketh Bhattiprolu (2025)
Samhitha Balaji (2024)
Samuel Sprague (2022)
Sonya Paroya (2022)
Lay Review
Aarohi Shah (2022)
Abhi Pandey (2024)
Amy Nghe (2023)
Areebah Rahman (2022)
Ashish Abraham (2022)
Brijesh Karanam (2021)
Jaude Baffoe-Bonnie (2023)
Matthew Piniero (2024)
Melissa Peters (2023)
Micaelly Alves Cabral (2022)
Nandini Kumar (2024)
Nikita Sajeev (2022)
Ola Szmacinski (2024)
Quinn Callen (2024)
Rashi Singhal (2022)
Sarah Bachman (2024)
Steffin Manoj (2024)
Taylor Forry (2024)
Layout
Cristen Post (2022)
Hailey Myers (2023)
Lyndsey Griswold (2025)
Graduate Review
Aria Gillespie
Charlotte Bavley
Claire Deckers
Cole Hagen
Elliott Johnson
Emily Kovach
Hannah Mayberry
John Furey
Katherine Eulau
Konrad Dabrowski
Lanxin Liu
Maria Brucato
Matt Mattoni
Michael West
Paul Cinicola
Rachael Loeb
Stephanie Korenic
Steve Bergquist