Journal profile · Medicine-Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Neurobiology of Pain
ISSN 2452-073X · Elsevier · United States
Neurobiology of Pain: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 3.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,770; median 97 days to acceptance (56 articles, last 24 months); 27 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Neurobiology of Pain is published by Elsevier and is classed under Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Pain Mechanisms and Treatments, Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology and Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, together about 45.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Neurobiology of Pain is an international journal for the publication of basic and translational research on the mechanisms of acute and chronic pain. It focuses on experimental studies of pain mechanisms at every level from molecular and cellular to brain imaging and behavioural. The journal primarily publishes original basic and translational studies, but will consider clinical studies which address mechanistic aspects of pain based on experimental approaches in human subjects.Neurobiology of Pain publishes a range of article formats including original research, full and mini-reviews, brief reports, commentaries and special issues. Neurobiology of Pain will also consider negative/null data papers and replication studies if they are important for the field of acute and chronic pain.We encourage authors to submit supplementary data to enhance the published version of their research articles and to improve the transparency of reporting and the reproducibility. Supplementary data can consist of data files, video or audio clips or extra tables/figures.The scope of the journal addresses all areas of pain neurobiology, including:Molecular substrates and cell signalingGenetics and epigeneticsSpinal and brain circuitryStructural and physiological plasticityDevelopmental aspectsLaboratory models of painBrain imagingNeuroinflammationPain and cognitionPain and emotion
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Editor-in-chief Theodore J. PricePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 29, United Kingdom 8, Canada 6, Mainland China 3, Taiwan, China 2 (59 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine33.6%
- Neuropeptides and Animal PhysiologyNeuroscience6.2%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine6%
- Migraine and Headache StudiesMedicine4.4%
- Ion channel regulation and functionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMedicine4.1%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience3.5%
- Nerve injury and regenerationNeuroscience3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.06LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- h-index
- 32OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 103OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.06OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 26LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 226 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 26 | 16 |
| 2025 | 27 | 27 | 62 |
| 2024 | 29 | 29 | 255 |
| 2023 | 36 | 36 | 354 |
| 2022 | 30 | 30 | 602 |
| 2021 | 21 | 21 | 297 |
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
97 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 61 days – 124 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 6 days (56 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 104 days
- Sample
- 56 articles with submission and acceptance dates (62 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 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 94 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 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 | USD 2,770 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,160 / EUR 2,020 / GBP 1,730 / JPY 267,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,940 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,350 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
- Endometriosis PainDeadline
- Sleep, circadian rhythms, and painDeadline
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- commentaries(e) Commentaries - serve as vehicles for brief presentations of new theories, hypotheses, points of view, or critiques of current research.Length not stated
- commentary(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- hypothesis(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- mini-review articles(d) Mini-Review articles - succinctly survey appropriate areas of current research or theory.Length not stated
- research article(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- research articles(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- review(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- review article(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
- review articles(c) Review Articles - these are exhaustive reviews on a specific topic of neuroscience of pain. Authors should always endeavour to make their reviews understand…Length not stated
- short communication(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- short communications(b) Short Communications - manuscripts of length up to a maximum of 3,000 words (including figure legends but not references), with no more than 1 figure and 1 …Length not stated
- survey(a) Research Articles are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate experimenta…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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; submissions initially assessed by editors; suitable submissions sent to a minimum of two reviewers; editors make the final accept/reject decision. 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 in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy; sharing preprints will not count as prior publication. 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
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2452-073X
- 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 Neurobiology of Pain
What CAS zone is Neurobiology of Pain in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Neurobiology of Pain?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.4; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 32.
How long does peer review take at Neurobiology of Pain?
Based on the dates recorded on 56 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 97 days (interquartile range 61–124 days); authors report an average review time of about 8 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Neurobiology of Pain?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: 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 Neurobiology of Pain based?
Of the 59 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (29), United Kingdom (8) and Canada (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Neurobiology of Pain?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Neurobiology of Pain is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Neurobiology of Pain open access, and what is the APC?
Neurobiology of Pain is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,770.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .