News & Comment

This month, Nature Neuroscience celebrates the 25th anniversary of our first issue. To mark the occasion, we reflect on the past quarter of a century of the journal and the field, and look to the future.

As Nature Neuroscience celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are having conversations with both established leaders in the field and those earlier in their careers to discuss how the field has evolved and where it is heading. This month we are talking to Michal Schwartz at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, a neuroimmunologist and pioneer in the study of the role of the immune system in physiology and in diseases of the central nervous system. She is the winner of the 2023 Israel Prize in Life Sciences.

As Nature Neuroscience celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are having conversations with both established leaders in the field and those earlier in their careers to discuss how neuroscience has evolved, and where it is heading. This month, we are talking to Nii Addy, the Albert E. Kent Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, and the inaugural Director of Scientist Diversity and Inclusion at Yale School of Medicine. Dr Addy studies dopamine, motivation, and addiction, and spoke with me about promoting diversity, how to be a good mentor, and communicating with the public via his popular podcast.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Nature Neuroscience, Shari Wiseman spoke with each of the past Chief Editors of the journal: Charles Jennings (1998–2003), Sandra Aamodt (2003–2008), Kalyani Narasimhan (2008–2014), Meredith LeMasurier (2014–2016), and Kevin Da Silva (2016–2021). They shared their memories and insights about the journal’s early days, scientific publishing, and the field of neuroscience.

The neuroscience of hormonal contraceptives is a vital but relatively new field. Existing studies are limited in size and scope, but they nonetheless highlight that the effects of hormonal contraceptives on the nervous system are complex and can vary because of individual differences, contraceptive type and formulation, and timing of use, among other factors. Neuroscientists can empower individuals with information about the biopsychological effects of hormonal contraceptives by delving more deeply into these effects in rigorous randomized controlled trials, large-scale studies that examine population-level trends, and dense imaging or intensive longitudinal studies that examine individual-level effects.