Journal profile · Endocrinology & Metabolism
Metabolic Brain Disease
ISSN 0885-7490 · eISSN 1573-7365 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1986
Metabolic Brain Disease: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.78; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,590; median 135 days to acceptance (108 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 267 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Metabolic Brain Disease is published by Springer US and is in Zone 4 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 Liver Disease and Transplantation, together about 24.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Metabolic Brain Disease serves as a forum for the publication of outstanding basic and clinical papers on brain diseases, including both human and animal studies. Topics include, but are not limited to, stroke, traumatic brain injury, myelin disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, toxic encephalopathies, genetic diseases affecting the brain, alcohol and brain metabolism, neuroendocrinopathies, viral and nonviral encephalitides, nutritional disorders affecting the brain, diseases affecting neurotransmitters, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and aging. The journal publishes papers on the fundamental pathogenesis of these disorders and on related experimental and clinical techniques and methodologies. Metabolic Brain Disease is directed to neuroscientists, psychiatrists, neurologists, pathologists, and others involved in the research and treatment of a broad range of brain disorders. Founding Editor: David W. McCandless, MSc, PhD, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Endocrinology & Metabolism
Editor-in-chief Liang OscarPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 39, Mainland China 7, United Kingdom 5, Germany 4, Brazil 4 (89 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience8.4%
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience8.4%
- Liver Disease and TransplantationMedicine8.1%
- Metabolism and Genetic DisordersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.1%
- Tryptophan and brain disordersNeuroscience6.5%
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMedicine6.1%
- Mitochondrial Function and PathologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Liver Disease Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine5.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Endocrinology & Metabolism | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Endocrinology & Metabolism | 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 |
| Minor | Endocrinology & Metabolism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 3.78LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,203OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 17.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 261LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 868,900Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,606 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 218 | 48 | 106 |
| 2025 | 267 | 62 | 1,299 |
| 2024 | 162 | 36 | 1,226 |
| 2023 | 184 | 40 | 1,993 |
| 2022 | 272 | 38 | 4,047 |
| 2021 | 225 | 29 | 4,873 |
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 Crossref · to
135 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 93 days – 212 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 164 days
- Sample
- 108 articles with submission and acceptance dates (560 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)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,590 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- editorialMetabolic Brain Disease is committed to high standards of presentation and will consider: Research Papers: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words …main text ≤ 1,000 words
- editorialsEditorials: Approximately 1,000 words with 10 references.Length not stated
- research paperMetabolic Brain Disease is committed to high standards of presentation and will consider: Research Papers: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words …main text ≤ 6,000 words
- research papersResearch Papers: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words with 60 references and a total of 8 figures and tables.Length not stated
- review articleMetabolic Brain Disease is committed to high standards of presentation and will consider: Research Papers: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words …main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articlesReview Articles: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words.Length not stated
- short communicationMetabolic Brain Disease is committed to high standards of presentation and will consider: Research Papers: No page limitations but typical length is 6000 words …main text ≤ 1,500 words
- short communicationsShort Communications: Usually, 1500 words with no more than 2 tables or figures.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
All original research must include a Data Availability Statement. Data Availability Statements should provide information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found. Statements should include, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. When it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when in…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Ethics approval statement required for human/animal research Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Metabolic Brain Disease, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1986
- ISSN
- 0885-7490
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-7365
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Metabolic Brain Disease
What CAS zone is Metabolic Brain Disease in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Metabolic Brain Disease is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Endocrinology & Metabolism / 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 Metabolic Brain Disease?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.78; CiteScore 6.8, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at Metabolic Brain Disease?
Based on the dates recorded on 108 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 135 days (interquartile range 93–212 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 Metabolic Brain Disease?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Metabolic Brain Disease based?
Of the 89 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (39), Mainland China (7) and United Kingdom (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Metabolic Brain Disease?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Metabolic Brain Disease is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Metabolic Brain Disease open access, and what is the APC?
Metabolic Brain Disease is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,590.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .