Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Brain Stimulation
ISSN 1935-861X · eISSN 1876-4754 · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 2008
Brain Stimulation: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9; fully open access; APC about USD 4,730; median 85 days to acceptance (107 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 1,561 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Brain Stimulation is published by Elsevier Inc. and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies, Neurological disorders and treatments and EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces, together about 45.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in NeuromodulationAbout Brain StimulationBrain Stimulation is the premier journal for publishing research in the field of neuromodulation. The journal includes: a) original articles; b) invited and original reviews or commentaries; and c) letters to the Editor. Special issues of the journal will be considered based on scientific merit.Brain Stimulation publishes original work across the entire field of brain stimulation, including noninvasive and invasive techniques and technologies that alter brain function using electrical, magnetic, radiowave, sound, light, focally targeted pharmacologic stimulation, or any other physical method to directly alter neural function. This includes investigations that study the effects of brain stimulation on basic processes, such as gene expression and other aspects of molecular biology, neurochemical regulation, functional brain activity, sensorimotor function, and cognitive and affective processes at the systems level. Interacting with the brain through normal sensory routes (e.g. vision, sound, touch, smell) is not defined as brain stimulation for this journal. As an equal partner with this basic emphasis, the journal has strong representation of research on the therapeutic potential and adverse effects of the stimulation technologies. Research in therapeutics includes not only clinical trials, but also conceptual pieces, discussions of ethics as they pertain to this field, services research, and epidemiology.The journal also publishes the highest level of research on the biophysics and biopsychophysics of stimulation paradigms, as well as the use of these techniques as a probe to outline patterns of neural connectivity. The journal will consider any form of neuromodulation that impacts on brain processes. Spinal cord stimulation or peripheral nerve stimulation will be considered only if behavioral effects are mediated by a central brain mechanism. The journal scope does not include psychological manipulations, such as visual or auditory presentation, nor are routine pharmacology studies appropriate for this journal. Studies of imaging correlates of brain states that do not involve brain stimulation are also not within the purview of the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Editor-in-chief Mark S. GeorgePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 28, Germany 10, Japan 6, United Kingdom 4, Italy 3 (64 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesNeuroscience26.4%
- Neurological disorders and treatmentsMedicine10.1%
- EEG and Brain-Computer InterfacesNeuroscience9.2%
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience8.1%
- Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringNeuroscience5.6%
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience3.8%
- Muscle activation and electromyography studiesEngineering3.7%
- Pain Management and TreatmentMedicine3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 9LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 12.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.61LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,049OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 138LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,911 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 190 | 190 | 107 |
| 2025 | 1,561 | 1,561 | 1,559 |
| 2024 | 214 | 214 | 2,404 |
| 2023 | 1,148 | 1,148 | 4,400 |
| 2022 | 259 | 259 | 5,478 |
| 2021 | 818 | 818 | 7,827 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
85 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 53 days – 145 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 91 days
- Sample
- 107 articles with submission and acceptance dates (493 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 50 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 84 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 19 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 4,730 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 4,430 / EUR 4,140 / GBP 3,550 / JPY 549,450 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,860 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- case reportAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- editorialEditorial • Written by invitation only. Please contact the Editorial Office directly if you want to write an editorial. • 3,000 word limit, with a mandatory abs…Length not stated
- letterAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- letter to the editorAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- letters to the editorAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- original articleAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- original researchAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- original research (includes review articles)Original Research (includes review articles) • 4,000 word limit (not including abstract / references / title page) • Structured abstract of up to 250 words (not…Length not stated
- reviewAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
- review articleAll manuscripts considered suitable for the Journal are strictly refereed. BRAIN STIMULATION can only accept about 10% of submitted manuscripts, and we strive f…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 1935-861X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1876-4754
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Brain Stimulation
What CAS zone is Brain Stimulation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Brain Stimulation is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Neurosciences; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Brain Stimulation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9; CiteScore 12.8, h-index 154.
How long does peer review take at Brain Stimulation?
Based on the dates recorded on 107 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 85 days (interquartile range 53–145 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Brain Stimulation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Brain Stimulation based?
Of the 64 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (28), Germany (10) and Japan (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Brain Stimulation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Brain Stimulation is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Brain Stimulation open access, and what is the APC?
Brain Stimulation is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,730.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .