Journal profile · NEUROSCIENCES
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
ISSN 1662-5099 · Frontiers Media S.A. · SWITZERLAND
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.37; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 63 days to acceptance (117 articles, last 24 months); 177 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is published by Frontiers Media S.A. and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms and Alzheimer's disease research and treatments, together about 27.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is a PubMed Central, Scopus, and SCIE-indexed journal, that explores the brain's molecular structure, design, and function. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is led by Field Chief Editors Robert J. Harvey (University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia) and Jochen C. Meier (Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Germany). This multidisciplinary journal seeks to identify how key molecules function and interact to understand the brain's structure, design, and function across all levels. Topics of interest include: brain disease mechanisms coding and non-coding RNA methods and model organisms molecular mechanisms regulating cellular and dendritic RNA trafficking and translation molecular signaling and pathways neuroplasticity and development pain mechanisms and modulators synaptic and cellular proteins. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is particularly interested in submissions on human brain diseases, and genetically engineered model organisms – such as C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, and rodents – in which alterations in key molecules underlying cellular and synaptic function and plasticity produce defined anatomical, physiological or behavioral changes. Research on genetic alterations in specific neural circuits (e.g., olfactory bulb, motor cortex, cortical layers, hippocampal subfields, cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord) and compensatory or homeostatic mechanisms are of particular interest. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is a partner journal of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN), sharing its mission to promote research in neurochemistry Equally important, the journal encourages submissions that advance the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3: good health and well-being, promoting our biological understanding of brain health. Manuscripts that focus on clinical practice, genetics, neurological function, cognitive function, and cell proliferation without a clear connection to molecular neuroscience are not suitable for publication in this journal. Similarly, studies on complementary/alternative medicine, e.g., acupuncture/electroacupuncture will not be considered. Studies that do not provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological processes are also out of scope. For example, research on stem cells or genetic causes of disease without a direct link to molecular neuroscience will not be considered. Frontiers’ journals require that ma
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NEUROSCIENCES
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 4, Australia 3, Italy 2, Mainland China 1, Japan 1 (16 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience14.5%
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience7%
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMedicine6.1%
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsNeuroscience6.1%
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Nerve injury and regenerationNeuroscience4.4%
- Ion channel regulation and functionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCEmbasePublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, CLOCKSS, Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 4.37LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- h-index
- 46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 146OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,042OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 147LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,521 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 184 | 184 | 55 |
| 2025 | 177 | 177 | 680 |
| 2024 | 309 | 309 | 2,673 |
| 2023 | 540 | 540 | 7,155 |
| 2022 | 763 | 763 | 14,297 |
| 2021 | 367 | 367 | 9,614 |
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
63 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 43 days – 106 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (117 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 86 days
- Sample
- 117 articles with submission and acceptance dates (412 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)
- about 14 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 14 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 | CHF 3,150 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 3,150 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,295 | Yes | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Use of AI to create written or visual content
Authors should not list a generative AI technology as a co-author or author of any submitted manuscript. Generative AI technologies cannot be held accountable for all aspects of a manuscript and consequently do not meet the criteria required for authorship. If the author of a submitted manuscript has used written or visual content produced by or edited using a generative AI technology, this use mu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Safeguards against financial conflicts of interest
Only leading researchers acting as Associate Editors, who are not part of Frontiers' staff, can make acceptance decisions based on reviews performed by external experts acting as Community Reviewers or Reviewers. None have a financial incentive to accept articles, i.e. they are not paid for their role as Associate Editor or community Reviewer, and any award scheme is not linked to acceptances of m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Our rigorous, transparent peer review process combines expert review and constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.
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
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Country or region
- SWITZERLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1662-5099
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
What CAS zone is Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Neurosciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.37; CiteScore 9.3, h-index 146.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience?
Based on the dates recorded on 117 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 63 days (interquartile range 43–106 days); authors report an average review time of about 14 weeks. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience based?
Of the 16 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (4), Australia (3) and Italy (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC and Embase; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .