Neurophotonics

Editor-in-Chief: Anna Devor, Boston University, USA

Neurophotonics is a Gold Open Access journal covering advances in optical technology applicable to study of the brain and their impact on basic and clinical neuroscience applications.

On the cover: "All-optics technique for monitoring absolute cerebral blood flow: validation against magnetic resonance imaging perfusion" by L. N. Shoemaker et al., in Volume 11 Issue 4.

Want to see your paper's artwork on the Neurophotonics cover? Learn how.

Call For Papers
How to Submit a Manuscript

Regular papers: Submissions of regular papers are always welcome.

Special section papers: Open calls for papers are listed below. A cover letter indicating that the submission is intended for a particular special section should be included with the paper.

To submit a paper, please prepare the manuscript according to the journal guidelines and use the online submission systemLeaving site. All papers will be peer‐reviewed in accordance with the journal's established policies and procedures. Neurophotonics is a Gold Open Access journal. Authors of accepted papers are required to pay an article processing charge of $1675. Discounts may apply. Click here for more details.

Understanding Brain Disease with Live Imaging
Publication Date
Volume 12
Submission Deadline
Open for submissions through 1 January 2025
Guest Editors

Washington University School of Medicine, USA
aqbauer@wustl.edu

Cornell University, Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, USA
nn62@cornell.edu

Bistra Iordanova, PhD

University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering, USA
bei3@pitt.edu

Scope

The advancement of modern optical technologies has provided unprecedented opportunities for the detection, diagnosis and understanding of various brain pathologies within in vivo models as well as in patients. Applications of photonics hardware span a wide range of temporal scales and support imaging from the microscopic to macroscopic level. Equally important to the hardware are the innovations in molecular photonics (e.g. fluorescent and bioluminescent proteins, biosensors, nanoparticles) that provide increased imaging sensitivity and specificity or real-time control of cell-specific activity. The combination of translational molecular-genetic probes and optical hardware platforms provides unique opportunities for the discovery, delivery, and evaluation of new therapies designed to treat brain disorders.

This special section highlights the unique aspects of optical imaging methods for identifying and evaluating various brain diseases and pathological conditions in a live setting. We invite contributions from experts specialising in brain pathology to those focused on technology development. Paper types can include original research, literature reviews, primers, protocols, and perspective/opinion pieces. Descriptions of innovative hardware or novel applications relevant to evaluating brain disease are also welcome. We plan to include a broad range of topics spanning translational science across species to clinical applications including but not limited to: 

  • Fluorescence Imaging
  • Multiphoton Imaging
  • Photoacoustic Imaging
  • Optical Coherence Tomography
  • Optical Intrinsic Signal Imaging
  • Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging
  • Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
  • Diffuse Optical Tomography
  • Molecular Photonics (Dyes, Indicators, Biosensors, Nanoparticles, Optogenetics, etc.)

Applied in the Context of:

  • Stroke
  • Dementias
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Traumatic Brian Injury
  • Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury
  • Brain Cancer
  • Epilepsy
  • Psychiatric Disorders
  • Neuroinflammation

All submissions to the special section will be handled according to the journal’s policy for peer-reviewed publications. To submit a paper, please prepare the manuscript according to the journal guidelines and use the online submission systemLeaving site. Please include a cover letter indicating that the submission is intended for this special section.

Neurophotonics is a Gold Open Access journal. Authors of accepted papers are required to pay an article processing charge (APC) of $1675. Discounts may apply, and the APC is waived for Primer/Protocol/Review/Tutorial papers.

Special sections are opened online once a minimum of four papers have been accepted. Accepted papers are published as soon as the copyedited and typeset proofs are approved by the author and the APC is paid.

Understanding brain disease with live imaging
Imaging Brain Metabolism and Neuroenergetics
Publication Date
Volume 12
Submission Deadline
Open for submissions through 31 May 2025
Guest Editors
Ghazaleh Ashrafi, PhD

Washington University St. Louis
ghazaleh@wustl.edu

Prakash Kara, PhD

University of Minnesota, USA
pkara@umn.edu

Alberto Vazquez, PhD

University of Pittsburgh, USA
alv15@pitt.edu

Scope

Recent advances in optical tools are enabling detailed in vivo studies of brain metabolism in the mammalian brain. Sensors that are sensitive to glucose, lactate, glutamate, GABA, and others are providing new information on the interplay between nutrient supply, availability and consumption, removal or excretion, cellular energetics, and cellular signaling. While the role of astrocytes and neurons is recognized in brain energetics, it is also becoming evident that support cells like astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and even microglia, contribute to the metabolic support of neuronal signaling. Even as big strides in neuroenergetics continue, the contribution of different cell types relative to the cost of vital signaling pathways remains largely elusive.

This special section aims to highlight new optical tools becoming available to study brain energetics in health and disease. We welcome submissions from efforts that image, record and modulate brain metabolism in animals and humans. These include but are not limited to:

  • Lactate, glucose, or ketone metabolism
  • Oxygen sensors
  • Autofluorescence imaging (NADH, FAD
  • Optogenetics
  • Chemogenetics paired with optical imaging
  • Hemodynamics, vascular, metabolic intrinsic optical imaging
  • Tool development

All submissions to the special section will be handled according to the journal’s policy for peer-reviewed publications. To submit a paper, please prepare the manuscript according to the journal guidelines and use the online submission systemLeaving site. Please include a cover letter indicating that the submission is intended for this special section.

Neurophotonics is a Gold Open Access journal. Authors of accepted papers are required to pay an article processing charge (APC) of $1675. Discounts may apply, and the APC is waived for Primer/Protocol/Review/Tutorial papers.

Special sections are opened online once a minimum of four papers have been accepted. Accepted papers are published as soon as the copyedited and typeset proofs are approved by the author and the APC is paid.

Imaging Brain Metabolism and Neuroenergetics; image courtesy of Alberto Vasquez
fNIRS for Global Health
Publication Date
Volume 12
Submission Deadline
Submission deadline: 1 April 2025 (open for submissions 1 February 2025)
Guest Editors
Meryem A. Yücel, PhD

Boston University (USA)
mayucel@bu.edu

Alexander von Lühmann, PhD

Berlin Technical University (Germany)
vonluehmann@tu-berlin.de

Western University (Canada)
mdiop@lawsonimaging.ca

University College London (UK)
a.blasi@ucl.ac.uk

Scope

As functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology continues to advance, it offers unprecedented opportunities to study brain function in diverse populations and settings. fNIRS provides a non-invasive and portable method for monitoring cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics, making it a powerful tool when addressing global health challenges. From the potential to provide markers for early detection of neurological disorders to informing our understanding of cognitive development and mental health across different cultural and environmental contexts, fNIRS is proving to be invaluable.

This special issue aims to publish the latest innovations in fNIRS technology and its applications for global health research. We invite contributions that highlight advancements in fNIRS methodology, novel applications in various global health contexts, and studies demonstrating the impact of fNIRS on improving health outcomes. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Innovations in fNIRS technology and instrumentation

  • Applications of fNIRS in monitoring brain health in diverse populations

  • fNIRS in low-resource and remote settings

  • Integration of fNIRS with other neuroimaging modalities

  • Studies on cognitive development, mental health, and neurological disorders using fNIRS

  • Advances in data analysis and interpretation for fNIRS data

  • Case studies and field applications of fNIRS in global health initiatives

  • Development of new fNIRS-based diagnostic tools and interventions

All submissions to the special section will be handled according to the journal’s policy for peer-reviewed publications. To submit a paper, please prepare the manuscript according to the journal guidelines and use the online submission systemLeaving site. Please include a cover letter indicating that the submission is intended for this special section.

Neurophotonics is a Gold Open Access journal. Authors of accepted papers are required to pay an article processing charge (APC) of $1675. Discounts may apply, and the APC is waived for Primer/Protocol/Review/Tutorial papers.

Special sections are opened online once a minimum of four papers have been accepted. Accepted papers are published as soon as the copyedited and typeset proofs are approved by the author and the APC is paid.

fNIRS for Global Health CFP - image from DALL-E
Published Special Sections

Understanding of Neural Circuits with Neurophotonics (July-September 2024)
Guest Editors: Hiroshi Makino, Spencer LaVere Smith, Jennifer Li, and Drew Robson

Complex Media NeuroPhotonics (Special Issue 2024)
Guest Editors: Hana Uhlířová, Janelle M. Pakan, André Gomes, and Tomáš Čižmár

Molecular NeuroPhotonics (April-June 2024)
Guest Editors: Ute Hochgeschwender, Hideaki Mizuno, and Robert E. Campbell

Open-Source Tools and Techniques (Part 1, October-November 2023; Part 2, January-March 2024; Part 3, April-June 2024; Part 4, July-September 2024)
Guest Editors: Suhasa Kodandaramaiah, Emily Gibson, and Daniel Aharoni

Frontiers in Neurophotonics, Part 2 (January-March 2024)
Guest Editors: Yves De Koninck, Paul De Koninck, and Flavie Lavoie-Cardinal

Frontiers in Neurophotonics, Part 1 (October-November 2023)
Guest Editors: Yves De Koninck, Paul De Koninck, and Flavie Lavoie-Cardinal

30 Years of Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (Part 1, January-March; Part 2 April-June 2023)
Guest Editors: David Boas, Judit Gervain, David Highton, Yasuyo Minagawa, and Rickson Coelho Mesquita

Computational Approaches for Neuroimaging (October-December 2022)
Guest Editors: Lei Tian, Xavier Intes, and Weijian Yang

Hybrid Photonic/X Neurointerfaces (July-September 2022)
Guest Editors: Hui Fang and Xin Yu

Imaging Neuroimmune, Neuroglial, and Neurovascular Interfaces (Part 1, April-June; Part 2 July-September 2022)
Guest Editors: Andy Shih, Kıvılcım Kılıç, and Vanessa Coelho-Santos

Advances in Retinal Imaging: Instrumentation, Methods, and Applications (October-December 2019)
Guest Editors: Ji Yi, Alfredo Dubra, and Sina Farsiu

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Part 3 (January-March 2018)
Guest Editors: Judit Gervain and Joseph P. Culver

Special Issue from SPIE Brain 2017 (October-December 2017)
Editor: David Boas

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Part 2 (October-December 2017)
Guest Editors: Judit Gervain and Joseph P. Culver

Pioneers in Neurophotonics: Special Section Honoring Professor Amiram Grinvald (July-September 2017)
Guest Editors: Ron D. Frostig and Carl Petersen

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Part 1 (April-June 2017)
Guest Editors: Judit Gervain and Joseph P. Culver 

Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (January-March 2017)
Guest Editors: Shouleh Nikzad, Babak Kateb, Warren Grundfest, Yu Chen, and Vassiliy Tsytsarev

Super-resolution Microscopy of Neural Structure and Function (October-December 2016)
Guest Editors: U. Valentin Nägerl and Jean-Baptiste Sibarita

Clinical Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging of the Brain (July-September 2016)
Guest Editors: Marco Ferrari, Joseph P. Culver, Yoko Hoshi, and Heidrun Wabnitz

Light Microscopy of Connectivity (October-December 2015)
Guest Editors: Shaoqun Zeng and Timothy H. Murphy

Causal Control of Biological Systems with Light (July-September 2015)
Guest Editors: Christopher Moore and Itamar Kahn

Pioneers in Neurophotonics: Special Section Honoring Professor Lawrence B. Cohen (April-June 2015)
Guest Editors: Brian M. Salzberg and Dejan Zecevic

The BRAIN Initiative (July-September 2014)
Guest Editors: Anna Devor, Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, Anna Roe, and David Boas

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