Research trends on the use of ultrasound as neuromodulation-based therapy, based on bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Link of Video Abstract: https://youtu.be/3g92-Hr_5c0   Introduction: Ultrasound has seen a significant increase in use in neuromodulation-based therapy over the past decade due to technological advancements, enabling precise tissue ablation, clinical neuromodulatory brain stimulation, and targeted blood-brain barrier permeabilization. The bibliometric analysis reveals a growing body of literature focused on the utilization of low-intensity ultrasound (LI-US) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFUS) in the field of neuromodulation. Ultrasonography has potential applications in treating neurological and psychiatric illnesses like neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and treatment-resistant mental illness, but further investigation is needed to understand mechanisms and safety considerations. The use of bibliometric analysis can effectively identify common research patterns and highlight advancements in this specific academic field. Research indicates that ultrasound-based neuromodulation approaches may offer novel therapeutic interventions with enhanced efficacy and safety in treating various neurological and mental illnesses. Methods: The process of data collection involved conducting a search on the Scopus website using specific keywords. Subsequently, the collected data is stored in the file formats of .bib and .csv. These files are then subjected to analysis using the biblioshiny and Vosviewer software tools. The research not only use quantitative analysis but also incorporates qualitative investigations. Results: The trend of the most significant affiliations, authors, documents with the highest number of citations, relevant sources, cited nations, and annual scientific production was determined. This academic study employs many visualization techniques, including overlay visualization of the Scopus database, utilization of VOSviewer for database analysis, network visualization, density visualization, and thematic mapping. Conclusions: The use of ultrasound as a neuromodulation therapy offers numerous opportunities and potential across various sub-topics, despite a limited literature corpus compared to other academic disciplines. The use of this discipline in human subjects is limited, requiring extensive clinical studies and cross-national collaboration for the advancement of therapeutic interventions.