Annual Review of Neuroscience

Annual Review of Neuroscience is a specialist scholarly journal published by the nonprofit publisher Annual Reviews. It is designed to synthesize important developments in neuroscience through authoritative review articles rather than to publish primarily original experimental reports. The journal addresses a broad field that includes molecular and cellular neuroscience, neurodevelopment, neurogenetics, neuroplasticity, systems neuroscience, neurological disorders, and the history and ethics of neuroscience. The journal emerged from discussions held in 1975 in New York alongside the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Neuroscientists from the United States and Canada agreed that the rapidly expanding discipline would benefit from a publication devoted to annual assessments of its most significant research. Annual Reviews' board approved the project in early 1976, and W. Maxwell Cowan was appointed to lead the first editorial committee. The committee organized the inaugural volume, which appeared in 1978. Cowan served as the journal's founding editor and led its editorial work through 2002. He was followed by Steven E. Hyman from 2003 through 2017, Huda Y. Zoghbi from 2018 through 2019, and a Zoghbi–Botond Roska co-editorship for volumes published from 2020 through 2024. Mary E. Hatten joined Roska as co-editor for the 2025 volume period. The editorial structure is supported by an editorial committee made up of associate editors, regular members, and occasional guest editors. The committee identifies topics, solicits contributions from qualified authors, and conducts peer review; unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. Annual Review of Neuroscience has historically been distributed in print and electronic formats, with some articles made available online before the corresponding annual volume. From 2023, the journal has been published open access under Annual Reviews' Subscribe to Open model. Its articles are intended for researchers, clinicians, educators, and advanced students who need consolidated interpretations of the neuroscience literature. The journal is indexed in major scholarly databases including Scopus, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Academic Search. Journal Citation Reports reported a 2025 impact factor of 13.8 and ranked the title tenth among 330 journals in the Neurosciences category, according to the cited reference material.

The origins of Annual Review of Neuroscience lie in two meetings convened by the nonprofit publisher Annual Reviews in New York in 1975. The meetings coincided with the annual gathering of the Society for Neuroscience and brought together neuroscientists from the United States and Canada. Participants concluded that neuroscience needed a recurring publication that could consolidate and evaluate important findings across a rapidly diversifying discipline. Annual Reviews' board of directors approved the journal in early 1976 and appointed its first editorial committee. W. Maxwell Cowan became the founding editor. During April 1976, the committee planned the contents and production of the first volume, which was ultimately published in 1978. The journal's initial concept was to provide expert, field-wide synthesis through review papers rather than a conventional stream of individual primary research articles. Cowan remained the central editorial figure through 2002. The succession of lead editors then included Steven E. Hyman from 2003 to 2017 and Huda Y. Zoghbi in 2018 and 2019. Zoghbi and Botond Roska were credited as co-editors for volumes published from 2020 through 2024. Roska and Mary E. Hatten were listed as co-editors for the 2025 volume period. The journal's editorial process is organized around an editor or co-editors and an editorial committee. Associate editors, regular committee members, and invited guest editors help identify significant topics and suitable contributors. Guest members generally serve one-year terms, while other committee members are appointed by Annual Reviews' board and generally serve five-year terms. Articles are commissioned from qualified authors, and manuscripts undergo peer review by the editorial committee. The journal does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Its subject coverage spans molecular, cellular, developmental, genetic, plasticity, and systems neuroscience, as well as neurological disease and the history and ethics of the field. The publication has been available in both print and electronic forms, and some articles have appeared online ahead of their assigned annual volume. Beginning in 2023, the title was published open access through the Subscribe to Open model. The journal is indexed by services including Scopus, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Academic Search. The cited Journal Citation Reports information gives the title a 2025 impact factor of 13.8 and places it tenth among 330 journals in Neurosciences.

• 2025

  Mary E. Hatten joins the editorial leadership

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Mary E. Hatten was listed alongside Botond Roska as co-editor for the 2025 volume period.

• 2023

  Open-access publication begins

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  The journal began publishing open access through the Subscribe to Open model.

• 2020

  Co-editorship with Botond Roska begins

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Huda Y. Zoghbi and Botond Roska were credited as co-editors for volumes beginning in 2020.

• 2018

  Huda Y. Zoghbi becomes lead editor

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Huda Y. Zoghbi began her period as lead editor.

• 2003

  Steven E. Hyman begins editorial tenure

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Steven E. Hyman succeeded W. Maxwell Cowan as the journal's lead editor.

• 1978

  First volume published

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  The inaugural volume of Annual Review of Neuroscience was published.

• 1976

  Journal approved and founding committee appointed

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Annual Reviews' board approved the project and appointed the first editorial committee, with W. Maxwell Cowan as editor.

• 1975

  Neuroscience journal concept discussed

  [1]Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org

  Annual Reviews held meetings with neuroscientists from the United States and Canada during the Society for Neuroscience meeting, leading to the proposal for an annual neuroscience review journal.

A high-level, authoritative review journal for synthesizing influential research and emerging directions across the full neuroscience discipline.

• Peer-reviewed academic journal · 1978

  Annual Review of Neuroscience

  The core publication is an annual, peer-reviewed journal of invited review articles covering significant developments throughout neuroscience. Its scope includes molecular and cellular mechanisms, neurodevelopment, neurogenetics, plasticity, systems neuroscience, neurological disorders, and historical and ethical questions. The journal has been distributed in print and electronically, with selected articles appearing online before the relevant annual volume. From 2023 it has been published open access under Subscribe to Open.

• 2023

  Adoption of open-access Subscribe to Open publishingStrategy

  Background

  Annual Review of Neuroscience had traditionally been available through print and electronic scholarly publishing, while the wider academic-publishing environment was moving toward broader open access.

  Action taken

  The journal began publishing open access under Annual Reviews' Subscribe to Open model.

  Aftermath

  The change expanded the availability of the journal's review content without a reported change to its commissioned, editorially peer-reviewed format.

  Source

1. 1Annual Review of Neuroscienceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Annual Review of Neuroscience journal pageannualreviews.org