The journal provides a rapid publication of short, complete reports, but not preliminary communications, in all areas in the fields of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, neurotoxicology, molecular neurobiology, behavioural sciences, biocybernetics and clinical neurobiology.The over-riding criteria for publication are novelty and interest to a multidisciplinary audience. Neuroscience Letters is not a repository for material which, although sound, is neither particularly novel nor meriting urgent publication. Papers not sufficiently substantiated by experimental detail will not be published. Authors will be required where appropriate to show that they have paid attention to the guidelines in the Editorial: ethical principles for the maintenance and use of animals in neuroscience research, published in Neuroscience Letters, Vol.73, 1987, p.1. Any technical queries arising will be referred back to the author, although the Editors reserve the right to make alterations in the text without altering the technical content. Submission of a paper to Neuroscience Letters implies that it is not being submitted for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts submitted under multiple authorship are reviewed on the assumption that all listed authors concur with the submission and that a copy of the final manuscript has been approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities in the laboratories where the work was carried out. If accepted, the manuscript shall not be published elsewhere in the same form, in either the same or another language, without the consent of the Editors and Publisher.