BrightFocus Journal Rises to Top 5 Neuroscience Journals Worldwide

BrightFocus Foundation’s official journal,  Molecular Neurodegeneration, has reached a remarkable new milestone: an impact factor of 19.6. The journal  now ranks fifth  among 330 neuroscience journals worldwide, placing it among an elite group of high-impact journals including Nature Aging, Nature Neuroscience, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences and in the top 1.5% globally. It remains the highest-ranked open-access publication in the neuroscience category.

“Molecular Neurodegeneration’s new impact factor reflects the exceptional quality, influence, and growing reach of the research published in the journal,” said Diane Bovenkamp, PhD, BrightFocus Vice President, Scientific Affairs. “For anyone eager to see new treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases, this milestone is especially meaningful. As an open-access journal, Molecular Neurodegeneration helps ensure that important discoveries can be shared broadly, accelerating collaboration and advancing the scientific progress needed to cure these diseases.”

What’s an Impact Factor?

A scientific journal’s impact factor is derived from how often its articles are cited in scientific literature during a particular period and reflects the journal’s influence in shaping and leading scientific progress. Journals with higher impact factors are considered more prestigious and have higher standards for publication.

The journal focuses on neurodegenerative diseases of mind and sight (including Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration and glaucoma). All articles are free and permanently accessible online, without subscription charges or registration barriers, reflecting BrightFocus’ public education mission to provide free, timely access to the latest scientific information for students, researchers, and families impacted by these diseases.

Journal’s Growing Impact Helps Accelerate Research Discoveries

Molecular Neurodegeneration’s impact factor has grown 270% since 2010, when BrightFocus’ sponsorship of the journal began. This is largely due to the rigorous scientific vetting by the journal’s staff, editors, and reviewers, enabling the journal to strategically highlight the most innovative research in the world, according to Dr. Bovenkamp.

Among the landmark discoveries published in Molecular Neurodegeneration, several were made possible by BrightFocus Foundation-funded research, including:

• the discovery of a novel biological pathway leading to Alzheimer’s disease

• one of the first real-time visualizations of Alzheimer’s-related disruptions to brain energy production and oxygen balance

• the identification of new mechanisms that drive increases in eye pressure, a key contributor to glaucoma

• evidence that a therapeutic drug can restore the cellular waste-clearing process in optic nerve cells, preserving energy production and restoring function in glaucoma

“Our incredible growth and this new ranking are a testament to the powerful partnership we share with BrightFocus Foundation,” said Guojun Bu, PhD, editor-in-chief of Molecular Neurodegeneration. “BrightFocus Foundation’s unwavering support enables us to maintain the highest standards of open-access publishing, ensuring that breakthrough discoveries are immediately available to the global scientific community. Together, as a journal and a foundation, we are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between crucial research funding and high-impact scientific publication.”