eNS call for papers: Special issue on “Neurological Diseases in Africa”

Call for Papers

Special Issue Guest Editors: 
Fred Stephen Sarfo (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana)
Mayowa Owolabi (College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria)
Ana-Claire Meyer (Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA)

Dear Author(s),

Across Africa there is a rising incidence and prevalence of neurological disorders amidst a paucity of trained neurologists. This combination portends poor outcomes for millions of patients with or at risk of diseases affecting the nervous system.

While the Continent has been at the epicenter of the HIV pandemic with an associated burden of neuroinfectious disorders and epilepsy, it is also undergoing an epidemiologic transition with increasing prevalence of predisposing risk factors for stroke.

Moreover, with improvements in socio-economic conditions including provision of primary health care, greater survival is culminating in an increased incidence of aging-related chronic neuro-degenerative disorders such as dementia and Parkinson's disease.

All of the aforementioned notwithstanding, compared to high income countries, in most African countries there is a dearth of data on the true spectrum of neurological disorders, as well as a paucity of information on their disease mechanisms, treatment practices, and outcomes, thus hampering policy formulation to effectively tackle the personal and societal burden of neurological illness.

For this Special Issue of eNS, we are inviting manuscripts from across the age spectrum that deal with basic, clinical, and population-based work covering neurological disorders in Africa.

The guest editors encourage submission of original research papers, short communications, reviews, study protocols, editorials, perspective pieces, clinical pathologic conference summaries, unique neuroimaging photographs, society conference proceedings (full articles or abstracts), expert-consensus clinical practice guidelines, and letters to the Editor. They invite research that explains socioeconomic, gender, geographic and residence (rural vs. urban) disparities in neurological care and outcomes. Also research in basic neuroscience and epidemiology with clinical applications within the African context are welcome. Accepted manuscripts will have the open access publication fee discounted by 30%, and consideration will be given for even greater discounts if work is conducted by authors from a low-income country.

Examples of neurology-related fields of interest include: neuromuscular diseases, demyelination, atrophies, dementia, neoplasms, infections, epilepsies, disturbances of consciousness, stroke and cerebral circulation, growth and development, plasticity and intermediary metabolism. Due to your many valuable contributions and significant expertise in the field, we would like to invite you to submit an article addressing this topic. Your enthusiasm and participation will greatly contribute to this special issue. We believe that this issue can be a significant milestone and hope that you are willing to contribute.

Before submission, authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/journals/eneurologicalsci/2405-6502/guide-for-authors.

Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at  http://ees.elsevier.com/ensci/default.asp?pg=preRegistration.asp

Manuscript Due:                    September 15, 2015

First Round of Reviews:       December 15, 2015

Publication Date:                   February 15, 2016

Your early response will greatly help us in organizing this special issue.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely yours,

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, FRCP, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief of eNS
Pihl Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina