Skip Navigation

  • join logo Join
  • give logo Give
  • advocate logo Advocate
  • publish logo Publish
Sign In
SfN 50th anniversary logo
  • Membership
    • Membership Overview
    • Member Benefits
      • Individual Member Benefits
      • Institutional Program Member Benefits
      • Sustaining Associate Member Benefits
    • Join or Renew
      • Automatic Renewals
      • Membership Dues by Category
    • Chapters
      • Resources for Chapters
      • Submit Annual Report
      • Start or Reactivate a Chapter
      • Chapter Directory
      • Chapter Video Challenge
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Member Directory
      • Sustaining Associate Member Directory
    • Professional Conduct
      • SfN Ethics Policy
      • Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication
      • Code of Conduct at SfN Events
      • Neuronline Digital Learning Community Guidelines
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Site Upgrade FAQ
    • Member Obituaries
  • Meetings
    • Meetings Overview
    • SfN Global Connectome: A Virtual Event
      • Abstracts
      • Exhibits
      • Registration
      • Sessions and Events
    • Virtual Events
      • Upcoming Virtual Events
      • Past Virtual Events
    • Past and Future Annual Meetings
      • Neuroscience 2019
      • Neuroscience 2018
      • Search Past Annual Meeting Abstracts
      • Attendance Statistics
    • Meeting Policies and Guidelines
      • Code of Conduct at SfN Events
      • Guidelines for Participating in SfN Events
      • Photography & Recording Policy
      • Presenter Guidelines and Policies for SfN Events
    • Calendar
    • Meeting Awards
      • Trainee Professional Development Award
      • FENS Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
      • IBRO Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
      • JNS Member Awards to SfN Annual Meeting
      • Science Journalism Student Award
      • FENS Forum Awards
      • IBRO World Congress Awards
      • JNS Meeting Awards
  • Careers
    • Careers Overview
    • NeuroJobs Career Center
      • Job Seekers
      • Employers
      • Virtual Career Fair
    • Neuroscience Training Program Directory
    • Virtual Graduate School and Career Fair
    • Career Tools and Resources
      • Neurobiology of Disease Workshop
      • Scientific Short Courses
      • Responsible Conduct of Research Short Courses
      • Global Funding Sources
    • Higher Education and Training
      • Core Competencies
      • Graduate School Fair
      • Neuroscience Training Program Survey
      • IP Affiliate Registration
    • Awards
      • Lifetime
      • Early Career
  • Initiatives
    • Initiatives Overview
    • Awards
    • Neuronline
    • Confronting COVID-19
      • SfN Zoom Backgrounds
    • Leadership Development Program
      • Trainee Professional Development Award
    • Diversity Initiatives
      • Neuroscience Scholars Program
      • Latin American Training Program
    • Women and Neuroscience
      • Increasing Women in Neuroscience (IWiN) Courses & Toolkit
      • Celebration of Women in Neuroscience Event
      • Awards
    • Animals in Research
      • Support for Members and Institutions
      • Tools and Resources
      • Resources for Medical Students
    • Public Education Programs
      • Resources for Educators
      • Brain Awareness Video Contest
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy Overview
    • Advocacy Network
      • The NeuroAdvocate Challenge
      • Advocacy Action Center
      • Advocacy Best Practices
      • Advocacy Network Newsletter
      • Advocacy Training Seminars
    • US Advocacy Programs
      • Capitol Hill Day
      • Connect with Policymakers
      • Early Career Policy Ambassadors
      • Partner with a Local Chapter
      • Engage the Media
    • Global Advocacy Programs
      • Global Neuroscience Initiatives
      • Global Funding
      • North American Programs
    • Science Funding
      • Advocacy Videos
      • Advocacy Resources
      • US Neuroscience Initiatives
      • Funding Priorities and Processes
    • Policy Positions
      • Statements and Testimony
      • Sign-On Letters
  • Outreach
    • Outreach Overview
    • BrainFacts.org
    • Find a Neuroscientist
    • Brain Awareness Campaign
      • Webinar: The ABC's of BAW
      • How to Get Involved
    • Awards
      • Award for Education in Neuroscience
      • Next Generation Award
      • Science Educator Award
  • Publications
    • Publications Overview
    • SfN News
    • JNeurosci
    • eNeuro
    • SfN Nexus
    • Neuroscience Quarterly
    • Annual Report
    • History of Neuroscience Autobiographical Chapters
  • About
    • About Overview
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • What We Do
      • Annual Report
      • Professional Conduct
      • Bylaws
      • Resolutions to the Bylaws
      • Strategic Partners
    • SfN 50th Anniversary Celebration
    • History of SfN
    • Environmental Commitment
    • Volunteer Leadership
      • SfN Presidents
      • Committees
      • Elections
    • History of Neuroscience
      • Autobiographical Chapters
      • Autobiographical Videos of Prominent Neuroscientists
      • Classic Papers
      • Neuroscience History Resources
      • Robert Doty's Chapter on Neuroscience
    • Careers and Staff
      • Staff List
  1. About
  2. History of SfN
  3. 1969-2019
Red background with "History of SfN" with various images from the issue
  • Current Issue: 1969-2019
    • Timeline
    • Introduction
    • Chapter I: Neuroscience Before Neuroscience, WWII to 1969
    • Chapter II: Establishing the Society for Neuroscience, 1968-1970
    • Chapter III: Fostering a New Interdisciplinary Approach to Problems of Brain and Behavior, 1970-1974
    • Chapter IV: Disciplinary Consolidation, the mid-1970s to the early 1980s
    • Chapter V: Neuroscience Ascendant, Mid-1980s to 1995
    • Chapter VI: A Robust SfN in a Rapidly Changing World
    • Chapter VII: SfN at the 25-Year Mark
    • Chapter VIII: Bold Transitions in the New Century
    • Chapter IX: The Annual Meeting, the “Hub,” of SfN, Enters the Digital Age
    • Chapter X: Reaching Many Audiences: Publications and Education
    • Chapter XI: Government and Public Advocacy: Not “Just a One-Day Affair”
    • Chapter XII: Meeting the Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Scientific Community
    • Chapter XIII: Nurturing a Global Society
    • Chapter XIV: SfN At 50 Years: Focus on the Future
    • Conclusion
    • Artifacts
    • Videos
    • Credits

1969-2019

Explore and discover SfN’s history and contributions to the development of the field of neuroscience.

The materials in this collection explore the Society’s work and influence from 1969-2019, its first 50 years. SfN is proud to reflect on its history while also looking to the future and the next 50 years.

  • Annual Meeting welcome banner at entrance to the 1989 annual meeting in Phoeniz, Arizona
    Introduction
  • Hippocampus. Golgi, C. Sulla fina anatomia degli organi centrali del sistema nervoso. Reggio-Emilia: S. Calderini e Figlio; 1885. Reprinted in: On the fine structure of the pes Hippocampi major (with plates XIII–XXIII). Brain Research Bulletin, Vol. 54, No. 5, p. 481 (2001).
    Chapter I: Neuroscience Before Neuroscience, WWII to 1969
  • Chapter II: Establishing the Society for Neuroscience, 1968-1970
  • MRI map of the language network in patient with Alzheimer's disease. Image courtesy of Dr. Liana Apostolova, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA.
    Chapter III: Fostering a New Interdisciplinary Approach to Problems of Brain and Behavior, 1970-1974
  • First issue of the Philosophical Transactions, 1666.
    Chapter IV: Disciplinary Consolidation, the mid-1970s to the early 1980s
  • SfN President Carla Shatz opens Dana Alliance Event, 1995.
    Chapter V: Neuroscience Ascendant, Mid-1980s to 1995
  • The plastic and robust nervous system is depicted here
    Chapter VI: A Robust SfN in a Rapidly Changing World
  • SfN 50th Anniversary logo
    Chapter VII: SfN at the 25-Year Mark
  • Image of the Ramon y Cajal mural at the SfN headquarters. The mural depicts Cajal's drawing of a neuron
    Chapter VIII: Bold Transitions in the New Century
  • Poster floor at Neuroscience 2017
    Chapter IX: The Annual Meeting, the “Hub,” of SfN, Enters the Digital Age
  • SfN President Carol Barnes and the Dalai Lama at the Dialogues Lecture from Neuroscience 2005
    Chapter X: Reaching Many Audiences: Publications and Education
  • President Barack Obama announcing the BRAIN Initiative
    Chapter XI: Government and Public Advocacy: Not “Just a One-Day Affair”
  • Three Annual Meeting attendees looking at a laptop
    Chapter XII: Meeting the Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Scientific Community
  • International Member Survey October 2010, from NQ Spring 2011. Pie chart depicting the nationality, income status, and type of membership of SfN non-U.S. members
    Chapter XIII: Nurturing a Global Society
  • Three student members pose for a photo at Neuroscience 2018
    Chapter XIV: SfN At 50 Years: Focus on the Future
  • Credits
  • Artifacts
  • Timeline
  • Videos
Attendees and poster presenters at the first annual meeting poster floor in Washington, DC

Share Your Recollections

 

Email Your Stories to SfN

SfN Websites
  • BrainFacts.org logo
  • eNeuro logo
  • JNeurosci logo
  • Neuronline logo
Engage with SfN
  • join Join
  • give Give
  • advocate Advocate
  • publish Publish
Quick Links
  • SfN News
  • For Press
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Code of Conduct
  • Jobs at SfN
Follow SfN
  • Facebook logo
  • Twitter logo
  • Instagram logo
  • LinkedIn logo
  • YouTube logo
  • RSS feed logo
SfN 50th Anniversary logo stating "Society for Neuroscience, celebrating 50 years. 1969-2019"
1121 14th Street NW, Suite 1010, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 962-4000
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Copyright ©

Society for Neuroscience