Status and trends of TMS research in depressive disorder: a bibliometric and visual analysis

Abstract

BackgroundDepression is a chronic psychiatric condition that places significant burdens on individuals, families, and societies. The rapid evolution of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques has facilitated the extensive clinical use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for depression treatment. In light of the substantial recent increase in related research, this study aims to employ bibliometric methods to systematically review the global research status and trends of TMS in depression, providing a reference and guiding future studies in this field.MethodsWe retrieved literature on TMS and depression published between 1999 and 2023 from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases within the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software to analyze data on countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, citations, and to generate visual maps.ResultsA total of 5,046 publications were extracted covering the period from 1999 to 2023 in the field of TMS and depression. The publication output exhibited an overall exponential growth trend. These articles were published across 804 different journals, BRAIN STIMULATION is the platform that receives the most articles in this area. The literature involved contributions from over 16,000 authors affiliated with 4,573 institutions across 77 countries. The United States contributed the largest number of publications, with the University of Toronto and Daskalakis ZJ leading as the most prolific institution and author, respectively. Keywords such as “Default Mode Network,” “Functional Connectivity,” and “Theta Burst” have recently garnered significant attention. Research in this field primarily focuses on TMS stimulation patterns, their therapeutic efficacy and safety, brain region and network mechanisms under combined brain imaging technologies, and the modulation effects of TMS on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotransmitter levels.ConclusionIn recent years, TMS therapy has demonstrated extensive potential applications and significant implications for the treatment of depression. Research in the field of TMS for depression has achieved notable progress. Particularly, the development of novel TMS stimulation patterns and the integration of TMS therapy with multimodal techniques and machine learning algorithms for precision treatment and investigation of brain network mechanisms have emerged as current research hotspots.