In publication since 1978 by Annual Reviews, founding editor W. Maxwell Cowan led the editorial committee until his death in 2002.

In the meetings, neuroscientists from the US and Canada concurred that it would be useful to establish a journal that published an annual volume of review articles relevant to neuroscience.

All other members of the editorial committee are appointed by the Annual Reviews board of directors and serve five-year terms.

The editorial committee determines which topics should be included in each volume and solicits reviews from qualified authors.

[8] Dates indicate publication years in which someone was credited as a lead editor or co-editor of a journal volume.