NeuroRehabilitation: 30th Anniversary

Discover all about the journal

Celebrating 30 Years of NeuroRehabilitation

NeuroRehabilitation (NRE) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 and this is a landmark occasion that needs to be celebrated. The Editors-in-Chief Nathan D. Zasler, MD, and Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, PhD, have led the journal continuously since its launch in 1991. They have been supported by the managing editor Melissa Oliver, OTR, for the last 15 years, as well as the excellent Editorial Board. The journal follows a pioneering interdisciplinary approach, reflecting the belief of the Editors-in-Chief that the most effective rehabilitation is for multiple disciplines to serve patients’ needs in a coordinated fashion, which has helped transform care in this vitally important and highly challenging field.

In support of this aim, NRE has published over 100 valuable thematic issues on a variety of topics. The journal’s Impact Factor has also continued its upward trajectory and is currently 2.138, according to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2021). Since 2018, NRE and Cochrane Rehabilitation have been affiliated with the aim of improving evidence-based neurorehabilitation practice, through the section in NRE Cochrane Corners. Each issue contains a summary of Cochrane Reviews and accompanying commentaries that are exclusive to NRE.

NRE publishes two volumes annually, with four issues per volume; scroll down to view highlighted top content!

View Editorial in Vol.50, Iss.1

30 Years of NeuroRehabilitation: Exclusive Interview

Discover interesting insights into NRE’s past, present, and future in the exclusive interview with the Editors-in-Chief below.

Nathan D. Zasler, MD

Editor-in-Chief
Jeffrey S. Kreutzer, PhD

Editor-in-Chief
Melissa Oliver, OTR

Managing Editor

Given the competitive nature of publishing, what was the rationale for launching the journal 30 years ago?

Research on rehabilitation was increasing and most existing publications focused on acute care medical concerns. Professionals, patients, and their families recognized the limits of ongoing neurorehabilitation practice and raised concerns about the efficacy of current treatments. NRE was designed to guide clinical practice via empirical research and keep clinicians aware of the latest evidence-based practice in neurorehabilitation through both original research and thematic issues guest edited by leaders in the field.

What is the greatest challenge faced by the journal?

NRE publishes manuscripts that address a wide variety of medical and psychosocial issues. Finding peer reviewers with relevant expertise who can turn around constructive reviews in a short time-period can be a significant challenge.

What is the journal’s peer review process?

All manuscripts undergo initial screening by either the Editors-in-Chief or Associate Editors and are peer reviewed by at least two expertsa source of the best information on current neurorehabilitation science and practice in order to provide a more comprehensive foundation for the field at large.

What makes NRE an ideal repository for high quality papers in the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field of neurorehabilitation?

We are most grateful to have an accomplished and active editorial board and multitude/large number of reviewers who offer critically constructive feedback. The review process gives authors an opportunity to improve the quality of their work and ultimately the reputation of the journal.

How has NRE distinguished itself from other journals in the field?

NRE has focused on topics relevant to interdisciplinary practice. For example, some of the thematic topics have included chronic pain, vegetative state, telerehabilitation, electrical injuries, hypoxic ischemic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and cognitive prosthetic systems.

What are the most important accomplishments of the past 10 years?

The journal has published manuscripts relevant to a broad readership with cutting edge information directly translatable to clinical practice. Additionally, the journal has become a repository for important clinical information pertinent to the practice of neurorehabilitation regardless of one’s specialty. Lastly, the success of the journal can be measured to a great extent by the broad international representation of authors and further affirmed by a continued upward trend of the journal’s Impact Factor.

What is the journal’s goal for the next 10 years and beyond?

The primary goal is to provide empirically based information relevant to an interdisciplinary group of readers. Ultimately, our goal is to continue to be a source of the best information on current neurorehabilitation science and practice in order to provide a more comprehensive foundation for the field at large.

View Full Interview in Vol.50. Iss.1

Top Cited Papers

View the top cited papers published during the journal's first 30 years.

Please peruse the journal’s top cited papers*

The impact of traumatic brain injuries: A global perspective – Adnan A. Hyder, et al. | NRE 22:5 (2007), Research Article (Openly Available)
Sensorimotor training in virtual reality: A review – Sergei V. Adamovich, et al. | NRE 25:1 (2009), Research Article)
Understanding awareness deficits following brain injury – Joan Toglia and Ursula Kirk | NRE 15:1 (2000), Research Article
Gait and step training to reduce falls in Parkinson's disease – Elizabeth J. Protas, et al. | NRE 20:3 (2005), Research Article (Openly Available)
Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury: Pathophysiology, neuropathology and mechanisms – Katharina M. Busl and David M. Greer | NRE 26:1 (2010), Research Article (Openly Available)

*Data from Scopus (up to Feb 2022)