Overview Submission Instructions Recent Publications Frequently Asked Questions Research Topics

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Behavioral and Brain Functions

Behavioral and Brain Functions is a well-established journal in the field of behavioural and cognitive neuroscience. It welcomes manuscripts that provide insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying behaviour and brain function, or dysfunction, and gives priority to manuscripts that combine both neurobiology and behaviour in a non-clinical manner.

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Subject Behavioral Sciences, Neurosciences

Impact Factor 3.3

Quartile Q1

Open Access Type Open

eISSN 1744-9081

Invitation Only No

Cost Range APC: £2290.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2690.00 EUR, plus VAT or local taxes where applicable.

Submission Instructions

Behavioral and Brain Functions accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Research Articles

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.

Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Background, Results, and Conclusions.

Manuscript There is no article word limit. Manuscript must include sections for Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a Declarations section with all required subheadings and 'Not applicable' where a subsection is irrelevant, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in the Methods section or a suitable alternative part.

References References must follow Vancouver style. Web links and URLs must be cited with a reference number and included in the reference list in full with the site title, URL, and access date, and unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list.

Figures & Tables Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the document, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript while figures are uploaded separately. Multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, and tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.

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Review

Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include Background, Main body, and a short Conclusion.

Manuscript Manuscript must include Background, Main text, Conclusions, and a Declarations section, and the title page must identify the corresponding author and list all authors' full names and institutional addresses. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a list of abbreviations if abbreviations are used, the required Declarations subsections with 'Not applicable' where irrelevant, and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.

References References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or publicly available articles, clinical trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and web links must be numbered and included in the reference list with full site title, URL, and access date.

Figures & Tables Figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript rather than the graphic file, tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, and tables over one page may be placed at the end of the document. Multi-panel figures must be uploaded as a single composite file and tables must be created as table objects rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.

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Brief Report

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.

Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words.

Manuscript Main text may be divided into subsections with short informative headings, and the manuscript must include a Declarations section. Manuscript must document any use of a Large Language Model in the Methods section or another suitable section, include three to ten keywords, and include Declarations subheadings for Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements, using 'Not applicable' where a subheading is irrelevant.

References References must follow Vancouver style. Only published articles, clinical trial registration records, and abstracts available publicly may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list in full with site title, URL, and access date.

Figures & Tables Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the document, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript while figure files are uploaded separately. Figures must be numbered in text order with multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, and tables must be numbered sequentially, created with the word processor's table function, and not embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.

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Recent Publications

A narrative review of behavioral tests across mammalian models in neuroscience

Huiling Huang, Hongping Li

10.1186/s12993-026-00341-1

View Publication

Knockout in zebrafish suggests a role of BDNF in behavioural and cognitive plasticity

Eleonora Rovegno, Elia Gatto, Elena Frigato, Cristiano Bertolucci, Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato

10.1186/s12993-026-00335-z

View Publication

Ventromedial hypothalamus IL-6 signaling mediates the excessive aggressive behavior induced by late-gestational sleep deprivation in male mice

Fei Zhou, Xi Yu, Miao Gong, Xiaoyu Liu, Xincheng Li, Yunluo Li, Li Song, Songjun Wang, Qingjun Guo, Haishui Shi

10.1186/s12993-026-00337-x

View Publication

Domain-general behavioral gains and neural correlates of cognitive training in healthy populations: a neuroimaging meta-analysis

Geng Li, Chengzhen Liu, Yang Liu, Yihan Zhang

10.1186/s12993-026-00338-w

View Publication

Neuropeptide S modulation of learning and memory: a systematic review

Violeta-Maria Caragea, Kay Jüngling, Marta Méndez-Couz

10.1186/s12993-026-00336-y

View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Submission to first decision (median): 7 days.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required. It should explain why the manuscript should be published in Behavioral and Brain Functions, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable. Authors may also suggest preferred and non-preferred peer reviewers in the cover letter.

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What are the publication costs?

An article processing charge applies for each accepted article. The current APC is £2290.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2690.00 EUR, plus VAT or local taxes where applicable.

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Research Topics

Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Stress Responses and Cortisol Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Memory and Neural Mechanisms EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Neural dynamics and brain function Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Reading and Literacy Development Tryptophan and brain disorders Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Neuroscience and Music Perception Visual perception and processing mechanisms Action Observation and Synchronization Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism Motor Control and Adaptation Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Face Recognition and Perception

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