Life & Health Sciences
Neuroscience research: societies, funders, data archives and standards
Neuroscience research is organised around the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), founded in 1969, whose Neuroscience 2025 abstract taxonomy has eleven lettered themes, A to K, covering development, synapses and glia, aging and degeneration, injury and neuroimmunity, sensory and motor systems, behaviour, emotion, cognition, techniques, and history and society. It lists 88 topics and 435 subtopics. SfN publishes The Journal of Neuroscience, launched in 1981. In Europe the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, founded in 1998, has 44 member societies, and IBRO, founded in 1961, links societies worldwide.
In the United States the main funders are NINDS, whose extramural research is grouped into six program clusters from repair and plasticity to neurodegeneration, NIMH, which runs a Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, and NIA, designated the primary federal agency for Alzheimer's research in 2011. The BRAIN Initiative was announced in April 2013 with DARPA, NIH, NSF, IARPA and the FDA. NSF-led CRCNS funds computational neuroscience with partner agencies abroad. The EU's Human Brain Project ran from 2013 to 2023 and its infrastructure continues as EBRAINS.
Data sharing is built into the field. DANDI archives neurophysiology data, Neurodata Without Borders defines a common format, OpenNeuro hosts BIDS-formatted imaging datasets under a CC0 licence, and the Allen Institute releases cell type atlases and connectomes openly. INCF endorses community standards, bioRxiv carries most neuroscience preprints, and the ARRIVE checklist guides reporting of animal studies. Both DANDI and the NeMO archive carry notices that they are under NIH review, so check the current status of any repository before planning a deposit.
New to the field? What is Neuroscience? →
Reviewed 5 November 2026 by CASRAI Editorial Board
- SfN Neuroscience 2025 themes and topics (11 themes, 88 topics, 435 subtopics)(read 5 November 2026)
- BRAIN Initiative (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- DANDI Archive(read 5 November 2026)
- NIMH: offices and divisions(read 5 November 2026)
- NINDS (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- Neurodata Without Borders(read 5 November 2026)
- BIDS(read 5 November 2026)
- INCF(read 5 November 2026)
- Society for Neuroscience (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- FENS (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- IBRO (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- Human Brain Project (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- The Journal of Neuroscience (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- Neuron (Wikipedia)(read 5 November 2026)
- NSF CRCNS(read 5 November 2026)
- EBRAINS(read 5 November 2026)
- Allen Institute Brain Science(read 5 November 2026)
- arXiv q-bio(read 5 November 2026)
- bioRxiv: about(read 5 November 2026)
- ARRIVE guidelines(read 5 November 2026)
Field at a glance
Journals
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Published by the Society for Neuroscience since 1981; the society's flagship peer-reviewed title.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- Neuron
- Cell Press (Elsevier) journal established in 1988, covering neuroscience and related biological processes.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Societies
- Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
- Founded 1969; first annual meeting 1971; the 2024 Chicago meeting drew 22,359 attendees; also publishes eNeuro, launched 2014.Website ↗
- Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
- Founded 1998 with 44 member societies; runs the biennial FENS Forum and publishes the European Journal of Neuroscience with Wiley.Website ↗
- International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
- Founded 1961; a network of neuroscience societies that publishes Neuroscience and the open-access IBRO Neuroscience Reports.Website ↗
Funders and programmes
- NINDS
- Founded 1950, renamed 1988; its extramural research is grouped into six program clusters, with a budget of about $2.03 billion.Website ↗
- NIMH offices and divisions
- Lists eight divisions and centres, including Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, Translational Research and Data Science and Technology.Website ↗
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Named primary federal agency for Alzheimer's research in 2011; funds more than 30 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers as of 2022.Website ↗
- BRAIN Initiative
- Announced April 2013 with DARPA, NIH, NSF, IARPA and FDA; NeMO is its multi-omic archive and is under review.Website ↗
- NSF CRCNS
- NSF-led Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience, with NIH, DOE and partner agencies abroad; a new solicitation was pending when read.Website ↗
Archives, facilities and data
- DANDI Archive
- BRAIN Initiative archive for neurophysiology data: 1,224 dandisets and 2.8 PB when read; marked as under NIH review.Website ↗
- OpenNeuro
- Open database of human brain imaging datasets, formerly OpenfMRI; BIDS format, CC0 licence, NIMH-funded.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- EBRAINS
- Open research infrastructure built by the Human Brain Project, offering brain atlases, data, modelling and simulation, and computing.Website ↗
- Allen Institute Brain Science
- Builds open cell type atlases, connectomes and a knowledge platform; all datasets are freely shared.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Standards and formats
- Neurodata Without Borders (NWB)
- Data standard for neurophysiology covering electrophysiology, optical physiology, tracking and stimulus data.Website ↗
- Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS)
- Standard for organising brain imaging data across fMRI, EEG, MEG, iEEG, PET and behavioural data.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- INCF
- Standards and best practices organisation for open and FAIR neuroscience; endorses BIDS, NeuroML, PyNN and Neo.Website ↗
- ARRIVE guidelines
- Checklist of recommendations for full and transparent reporting of research involving animals.Website ↗ · Our guide →
Preprints and indexes
- bioRxiv
- Free preprint archive for life sciences run by openRxiv, founded 2013 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; not peer reviewed.Website ↗ · Our guide →
- arXiv q-bio.NC Neurons and Cognition
- arXiv category for synapse, cortex, neuronal dynamics, neural network, sensorimotor control, behaviour and attention work.Website ↗
44 pages across 8 topic areas
Scholarly Publishing
- fMRIPrep: Neuroimaging Preprocessing Guide
Learn how fMRIPrep standardizes fMRI data preprocessing using BIDS, containerized workflows, and automated quality reporting for reproducible neurosci…
- FreeSurfer: Neuroimaging Analysis Platform Guide
An operational guide to FreeSurfer structural neuroimaging analysis, recon-all pipeline execution, hardware memory requirements, and licensing steps.…
- Frontiers in Psychiatry: Journal Profile, Impact Factor, Indexing and Fees
Frontiers in Psychiatry profile: scope, impact factor and CiteScore sources, indexing, peer review and APC, each sourced and dated 2026-11-08.…
- FSL (FMRIB Software Library): Neuroimaging Guide
A comprehensive guide to FSL (FMRIB Software Library): core analysis modules (BET, FAST, FEAT, FSLeyes), installation protocols, imaging pipelines, an…
- IBRO: Global Brain Research Organization Guide
A guide to the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO): global governance, regional committees, research grants, training schools, and scient…
- Journal Molecular Psychiatry: Scope & Metrics
An author and researcher guide to the journal Molecular Psychiatry, covering aims, scope, Clarivate impact metrics, hybrid open access fees, and index…
- Journal of Neurotrauma: Scope, Indexing & Submission
Explore the Journal of Neurotrauma: scope covering TBI and SCI, indexing in MEDLINE and Web of Science, ScholarOne submission rules, and publishing mo…
- MNE-Python: Electrophysiology Analysis Guide
Learn how MNE-Python processes MEG, EEG, and intracranial data with BIDS integration, sensor-space filtering, and cortical source localization.…
- MRIcroGL: Neuroimaging Visualization Guide
A research guide to MRIcroGL: GPU-accelerated 3D volume rendering, statistical overlay interpolation, VOI lesion mapping, and Python neuroimaging work…
- Neurosynth: Automated fMRI Meta-Analysis Guide
An operational guide to Neurosynth fMRI meta-analysis, automated coordinate extraction, uniformity versus association test maps, and decoding workflow…
- Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM): Guide
A research guide to the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), covering annual meeting abstracts, Aperture Neuro, and COBIDAS reporting standard…
- Society for Neuroscience: Platform & Meeting Guide
An operational guide to the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), detailing governance, JNeurosci and eNeuro journals, membership fee structures, and the an…
- Statistical Parametric Mapping: Guide to SPM12
A comprehensive methodological guide to Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12), covering spatial preprocessing, mass-univariate GLM estimation, and Ra…
Research Methods & Statistics
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Principles, Metrics, and Pipelines
A technical guide to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in neuroscience, detailing mathematical principles, tensor scalar invariants (FA, MD, RD, AD), tra…
- EEG vs MEG: Neuroimaging Trade-OffsComparison
Compare EEG and MEG across biophysical sources, spatial smearing, sensor tech, and BIDS data standards to choose the right neuroimaging tool.…
- fMRI vs EEG: Neuroimaging Modalities ComparedComparison
Compare fMRI and EEG across temporal resolution, spatial accuracy, biophysical signal origin, instrumentation costs, and experimental suitability.…
- Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS): Principles and Methods
A technical guide to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in neuroscience research, covering optical window physics, the Modified Beer-Lamber…
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG): Principles and Lab Methods
An operational guide to magnetoencephalography (MEG) in neuroscience research, covering biophysical origins, SQUID vs OPM sensors, source modeling, an…
- Neurology vs. Neuroscience: What Is the Difference?Comparison
Neurology is the medical specialty that treats nervous system disease; neuroscience is the research field that studies the nervous system. Side-by-sid…
- Neuroscience vs Neurobiology: What Is the Difference?Comparison
Neuroscience and neurobiology overlap so heavily that they are often used interchangeably. Where a distinction is drawn, neurobiology is the biologica…
- Neuroscience vs Psychology: What Is the Difference?Comparison
Neuroscience explains behavior through the nervous system, from molecules to circuits; psychology studies mind and behavior, mostly at the whole-perso…
- Psychophysics: Definition, Thresholds and Methods
Psychophysics measures how physical stimuli map to sensation. Learn thresholds, JND, Fechner's founding role and a table for choosing a method.…
- The BOLD Signal in fMRI: Biophysics & Methods Guide
An operational guide to the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal in fMRI, detailing biophysical susceptibility, hemodynamic kinetics, and m…
- What Is Neurobiology? Research Areas, Funding, and Career Paths
A comprehensive guide to neurobiology: what it studies, its major sub-disciplines, the NIH institutes and NSF directorates that fund it, common resear…
- What Is Neuroscience? Research Areas, Funding, and Career Paths
A complete answer to what neuroscience is: its core questions and subfields, the federal agencies and foundations that fund the research, the methods…
Laboratory Operations & Safety
- Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons: Types & Lab Guide
Dorsal root ganglia neurons guide: pseudounipolar anatomy, A-fiber and C-fiber subtypes, molecular markers, dissociation enzymes, and primary cell cul…
- Monell Chemical Senses Center: Research Guide
An authoritative guide to the Monell Chemical Senses Center, reviewing chemosensory science, NIH grant mechanisms, clinical testing, and lab protocols…
- Neuropixels: High-Density Silicon Probes Explained
What Neuropixels is, channels versus sites, a sourced 1.0 vs 2.0 comparison, and the data a lab must plan for.…
- Optogenetics: How It Works, Opsins and Chemogenetics Compared
What optogenetics means, how opsins, delivery and light work, optogenetics vs chemogenetics, and the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.…
- Psychoneuroendocrinology: Definition, Scope and Cortisol Measurement
What psychoneuroendocrinology is, its scope, and why salivary cortisol sampling design (CAR, slope, AUC) matters, from sourced evidence.…
- Two-Photon Microscopy: Deep-Tissue Imaging Principles and the Limits That Actually Bite
Two-photon microscopy’s depth ceiling is set by near-surface out-of-focus fluorescence, not by available laser power. A practical guide to atten…
Grants Management & Research Funding
- Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF): Grants, Eligibility and How to Apply
BBRF (formerly NARSAD) funds mental illness research. See Young Investigator eligibility, limits, application sections and related programs.…
- Dana Foundation: Neuroscience & Society Grants
Overview of Dana Foundation grantmaking in neuroscience and society, covering eligibility, funding scope, compliance rules, and application phases.…
- Human Brain Project: EU Flagship & EBRAINS Guide
A comprehensive guide to the EU Human Brain Project, detailing its 10-year FET Flagship lifecycle, CORDIS funding, EBRAINS digital infrastructure, and…
- Kavli Foundation: The Kavli Institute Model for Astrophysics, Nanoscience, and Neuroscience Funding
How the Kavli Foundation funds research through 20 permanently endowed Kavli Institutes rather than typical competitive project grants, plus its Prize…
- Simons Foundation Research Funding: Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Autism Research
How the Simons Foundation funds basic research across Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, SFARI autism research, and Neuroscience, and h…
Research Integrity & Compliance
- Morris Water Maze Protocol: IACUC Requirements and Welfare Limits
What an IACUC protocol must specify for Morris water maze testing — water temperature and welfare limits, humane endpoints for non-swimmers, thigmotax…
- Open Field Test in Mice: Arena Setup, Thigmotaxis, and IACUC Requirements
How the open field test measures locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior in mice, plus the arena setup, habituation, thigmotaxis scoring, confoun…
- Rotarod Motor Testing: Training Schedules, Scoring, and Reporting
The rotarod protocol is the assay: rod diameter, calibrated acceleration, training schedule and endpoint definition all decide whether a deficit is de…
- Stereotaxic Surgery in Mice: IACUC Standards
What an IACUC surgical protocol must specify for stereotaxic surgery in mice — aseptic technique for rodent survival surgery, anesthesia/analgesia pla…
Research Data Management
- Allen Brain Map: Data Sharing, Licensing, and Citation for Data Management Plans
How to treat Allen Brain Map correctly in a Data Management Plan: its custom noncommercial-use license, citation requirements, and what it does and do…
- OpenNeuro: The BIDS-Based Neuroimaging Data-Sharing Platform
What OpenNeuro is, how it enforces the BIDS standard, which neuroimaging data types it hosts, and how it fits into the broader neuroimaging data-shari…
Research Tools & Software
- dcm2niix: DICOM to NIfTI Conversion Guide
A practical guide to dcm2niix: converting scanner DICOM to NIfTI format, extracting BIDS JSON sidecars, diffusion bval/bvec tables, and CLI workflows.…
Scholarly Writing
- SfN Abstract Submission: Rules & Formatting Guide
A practical guide to SfN abstract submission: official character counting limits, submission rules, poster vs nanosymposium formatting, checklists, an…
