The mission of the “Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience” Section of Brain Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3425) is to publish cutting-edge original articles and critical reviews on the molecular and cellular basis of neurological disorders. In particular, Brain Sciences covers all aspects of molecular and cellular neuroscience, from genetic analyses of human populations to tissue culture and animal models of neurological disorders. Coverage includes experimental analyses of molecular and cellular events underpinning both developmental and adult plasticity mechanisms of the normal nervous system and occurring as a consequence of neurological dysfunction and in neuronal degeneration and repair.

As all the articles published in our journal are of an open access format, you have free and unlimited access to the full text. We welcome you to read our most highly cited papers published in 2021 and 2022 listed below:

1. “COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s Disease”
by Marcello Ciaccio, Bruna Lo Sasso, Concetta Scazzone, Caterina Maria Gambino, Anna Maria Ciaccio, Giulia Bivona, Tommaso Piccoli, Rosaria Vincenza Giglio and Luisa Agnello
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(3), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11030305
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/3/305

2. “Environmental Impact on the Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Parkinson’s Disease Pathogenesis: A Narrative Review”
by Efthalia Angelopoulou, Yam Nath Paudel, Sokratis G. Papageorgiou and Christina Piperi
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020175
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/2/175

3. “Is L-Glutamate Toxic to Neurons and Thereby Contributes to Neuronal Loss and Neurodegeneration? A Systematic Review”
by Maryam N. AL-Nasser, Ian R. Mellor and Wayne G. Carter
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(5), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050577
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/5/577

4. “Homology Modelling, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of CALMH1 against Secondary Metabolites of Bauhinia variegata to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease”
by Noopur Khare, Sanjiv Kumar Maheshwari, Syed Mohd Danish Rizvi, Hind Muteb Albadrani, Suliman A. Alsagaby, Wael Alturaiki, Danish Iqbal, Qamar Zia, Chiara Villa, Saurabh Kumar Jha et al.
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(6), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060770
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/6/770

5. “Influenza Vaccine Hesitancy in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Monocentric Observational Study”
by Antonio Ziello, Cristina Scavone, Maria Elena Di Battista, Simona Salvatore, Daniele Di Giulio Cesare, Ornella Moreggia, Lia Allegorico, Anna Sagnelli, Stefano Barbato, Valentino Manzo et al.
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070890
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/890

6. “Plasticity in the Hippocampus, Neurogenesis and Drugs of Abuse”
by Yosef Avchalumov and Chitra D. Mandyam
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11030404
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/3/404

7. “Smo-Shh Agonist Purmorphamine Prevents Neurobehavioral and Neurochemical Defects in 8-OH-DPAT-Induced Experimental Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”
by Ria Gupta, Sidharth Mehan, Pranshul Sethi, Aradhana Prajapati, Abdulrahman Alshammari, Metab Alharbi, Haneen A. Al-Mazroua and Acharan S. Narula
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030342
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/3/342

8. “Immediate Early Gene c-fos in the Brain: Focus on Glial Cells”
by Fernando Cruz-Mendoza, Fernando Jauregui-Huerta, Adriana Aguilar-Delgadillo, Joaquín García-Estrada and Sonia Luquin
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(6), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060687
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/6/687

9. “Cerebral Autoregulation in Ischemic Stroke: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Concepts”
by Ricardo C. Nogueira, Lucy Beishon, Edson Bor-Seng-Shu, Ronney B. Panerai and Thompson G. Robinson
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(4), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11040511
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/4/511

10. “Imaging of Substantia Nigra in Parkinson’s Disease: A Narrative Review”
by Paola Feraco, Cesare Gagliardo, Giuseppe La Tona, Eleonora Bruno, Costanza D’angelo, Maurizio Marrale, Anna Del Poggio, Maria Chiara Malaguti, Laura Geraci, Roberta Baschi et al.
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(6), 769; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060769
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/6/769

11. “Effect of Xenon Treatment on Gene Expression in Brain Tissue after Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats”
by Anton D. Filev, Denis N. Silachev, Ivan A. Ryzhkov, Konstantin N. Lapin, Anastasiya S. Babkina, Oleg A. Grebenchikov and Vladimir M. Pisarev
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 889; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070889
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/889

12. “Brain–Immune Interactions as the Basis of Gulf War Illness: Clinical Assessment and Deployment Profile of 1990–1991 Gulf War Veterans in the Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) Multisite Case-Control Study”
by Lea Steele, Nancy Klimas, Maxine Krengel, Emily Quinn, Rosemary Toomey, Deborah Little, Maria Abreu, Kristina Aenlle, Ronald Killiany, Bang-Bon Koo et al.
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091132
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/9/1132

13. “TLR-Mediated Signal Transduction and Neurodegenerative Disorders”
by Shashank Vishwanath Adhikarla, Niraj Kumar Jha, Vineet Kumar Goswami, Ankur Sharma, Anuradha Bhardwaj, Abhijit Dey, Chiara Villa, Yatender Kumar and Saurabh Kumar Jha
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(11), 1373; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111373
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/11/1373

14. “Brain Connectivity and Graph Theory Analysis in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease: The Contribution of Electrophysiological Techniques”
by Francesca Miraglia, Fabrizio Vecchio, Chiara Pappalettera, Lorenzo Nucci, Maria Cotelli, Elda Judica, Florinda Ferreri and Paolo Maria Rossini
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030402
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/3/402

15. “Andrographolide Attenuates Gut-Brain-Axis Associated Pathology in Gulf War Illness by Modulating Bacteriome-Virome Associated Inflammation and Microglia-Neuron Proinflammatory Crosstalk”
by Punnag Saha, Peter T. Skidmore, LaRinda A. Holland, Ayan Mondal, Dipro Bose, Ratanesh K. Seth, Kimberly Sullivan, Patricia A. Janulewicz, Ronnie Horner, Nancy Klimas et al.
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070905
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/905

16. “Shared Genetic Background between Parkinson’s Disease and Schizophrenia: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study”
by Kiwon Kim, Soyeon Kim, Woojae Myung, Injeong Shim, Hyewon Lee, Beomsu Kim, Sung Kweon Cho, Joohyun Yoon, Doh Kwan Kim and Hong-Hee Won
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(8), 1042; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11081042
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/8/1042

17. “The Genetics of Sleep Disorders in Children: A Narrative Review”
by Greta Mainieri, Angelica Montini, Antonio Nicotera, Gabriella Di Rosa, Federica Provini and Giuseppe Loddo
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101259
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/10/1259

18. “Potential Effects of Poloxamer 188 on Rat Isolated Brain Mitochondria after Oxidative Stress In Vivo and In Vitro”
by Johannes A. Pille and Matthias L. Riess
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(1), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11010122
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/1/122

19. “Focused Ultrasound Stimulation as a Neuromodulatory Tool for Parkinson’s Disease: A Scoping Review”
by Keng Siang Lee, Benjamin Clennell, Tom G. J. Steward, Andriana Gialeli, Oscar Cordero-Llana and Daniel J. Whitcomb
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020289
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/2/289

20. “Regulation of Voluntary Physical Activity Behavior: A Review of Evidence Involving Dopaminergic Pathways in the Brain”
by Anaissa Ruiz-Tejada, Janet Neisewander and Christos S. Katsanos
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030333
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/3/333