Aims & Scope
Journal of Neurological Research and Therapy publishes mechanistic research on the molecular and cellular pathophysiology of neurological disorders, focusing on disease mechanisms, biomarker discovery, and pathogenic pathways rather than clinical management.
Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
Molecular Pathways
Disease Biomarkers
Cellular Pathophysiology
Neuroinflammation
Core Research Domains
Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanisms
- Protein aggregation pathways in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease
- Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress mechanisms
- Autophagy and proteasomal degradation pathways
- Synaptic dysfunction and neuronal circuit degeneration
- Genetic and epigenetic factors in disease progression
- Glial cell contributions to neurodegeneration
Typical Fit Example
"Alpha-synuclein oligomerization disrupts mitochondrial membrane potential through direct interaction with complex I subunits, leading to dopaminergic neuron vulnerability in Parkinson's disease models."
Neuroinflammation & Immune Mechanisms
- Microglial activation states and phenotypic transitions
- Astrocyte reactivity and neurotoxic signaling
- Blood-brain barrier dysfunction mechanisms
- Peripheral immune cell infiltration pathways
- Cytokine and chemokine signaling cascades
- Inflammasome activation in neurological disease
Typical Fit Example
"NLRP3 inflammasome activation in microglia drives IL-1beta secretion and subsequent oligodendrocyte apoptosis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, revealing a mechanistic link between innate immunity and demyelination."
Molecular Biomarkers & Disease Signatures
- Protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and blood
- MicroRNA and long non-coding RNA signatures
- Metabolomic profiling of disease states
- Extracellular vesicle cargo analysis
- Post-translational modification patterns
- Imaging biomarkers linked to molecular pathology
Typical Fit Example
"Plasma neurofilament light chain levels correlate with axonal degeneration rate in multiple sclerosis, validated through correlation with MRI-detected lesion volume and mechanistic studies in EAE models."
Neuronal Injury & Repair Mechanisms
- Excitotoxicity and calcium dysregulation pathways
- Axonal injury and regeneration mechanisms
- Neuroplasticity and circuit reorganization
- Neurogenesis in adult brain regions
- Molecular mechanisms of traumatic brain injury
- Ischemic cascade and reperfusion injury pathways
Typical Fit Example
"NMDA receptor-mediated calcium influx activates calpain proteases leading to spectrin breakdown and cytoskeletal collapse in hippocampal neurons following ischemic insult, identifying potential neuroprotective targets."
Secondary Focus Areas
Neurogenetics & Molecular Pathways
- Genetic mutations and disease susceptibility
- Gene expression profiling in disease models
- Epigenetic modifications in neurological disorders
- RNA processing and splicing defects
- Transcriptional regulation in neurodegeneration
Synaptic Dysfunction & Circuit Pathology
- Neurotransmitter receptor dysfunction
- Synaptic vesicle trafficking defects
- Dendritic spine morphology changes
- Circuit-level connectivity alterations
- Electrophysiological dysfunction mechanisms
Myelin & Oligodendrocyte Pathology
- Demyelination mechanisms in multiple sclerosis
- Oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation
- Remyelination failure pathways
- Myelin protein dysfunction
- White matter injury mechanisms
Neurovascular Coupling & BBB Dysfunction
- Endothelial cell dysfunction in neurological disease
- Pericyte loss and vascular instability
- Tight junction protein degradation
- Cerebrovascular inflammation mechanisms
- Neurovascular unit communication breakdown
Emerging Research Areas
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Priority 1
Fast-Track Review (4-6 weeks)
Original Research Articles
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Methods & Resources
Mechanistic Studies
Priority 2
Standard Review (6-8 weeks)
Short Communications
Data Notes
Technical Notes
Perspectives
Rarely Considered
Requires Strong Mechanistic Component
Case Reports (with mechanistic analysis)
Opinion Pieces (invited only)
Commentaries (invited only)
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- ARRIVE 2.0 for animal studies
- MIQE for qPCR experiments
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- STROBE for observational studies (if mechanistic)
- CONSORT for interventional studies (if mechanistic)
Data Transparency
- Raw data deposition in public repositories
- Omics data in GEO, ArrayExpress, or similar
- Protein structures in PDB
- Code availability for computational analyses
- Reagent and resource sharing statements
Ethics & Integrity
- Institutional review board approval for human samples
- IACUC approval for animal studies
- Informed consent documentation
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Adherence to COPE guidelines
Preprint Policy
- Preprints accepted and encouraged
- bioRxiv, medRxiv preprints welcomed
- No impact on novelty assessment
- Preprint DOI cited in published version
- Transparent peer review option available
