{"title":"Global trends in Alzheimer's disease randomized controlled trials: a bibliometric analysis.","authors":"Sanam Hosseinpoor-Dashatani, Narges Ebrahimi","doi":"10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2025-0423","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide, creating substantial clinical and socioeconomic burdens. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence to evaluate interventions, yet global publication trends and thematic evolution have not been systematically analyzed.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>As far as we are aware, there has been no bibliometric analysis that has thoroughly assessed RCTs in AD, despite their pivotal influence on the development of treatment and prevention strategies. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a bibliometric mapping analysis of global RCTs on AD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A bibliometric analysis of human RCTs on AD from September 2010 to September 2025 was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. VOSviewer was employed for keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship mapping, and co-citation analyses to identify research themes, collaborations, and temporal trends.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 4,482 RCTs were identified, revealing five main themes: pharmacological interventions, lifestyle and prevention strategies, pathophysiological mechanisms, cognitive and behavioral interventions, and clinical trial methodology. After 2015, focus shifted from traditional pharmacology to multidomain, prevention-oriented, and precision-driven approaches. Emerging topics included digital health, gut microbiome, and machine learning. Collaboration networks highlighted the dominance of the US and Europe, with rapid growth in Asia and emerging regions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings indicate a paradigm shift in AD RCTs toward integrative, technology-enabled designs, emphasizing both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. These trends can guide future global research priorities and intervention development.</p>","PeriodicalId":39167,"journal":{"name":"Dementia e Neuropsychologia","volume":"20 ","pages":"e20250423"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13277365/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Dementia e Neuropsychologia","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2025-0423","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide, creating substantial clinical and socioeconomic burdens. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence to evaluate interventions, yet global publication trends and thematic evolution have not been systematically analyzed.
Objective: As far as we are aware, there has been no bibliometric analysis that has thoroughly assessed RCTs in AD, despite their pivotal influence on the development of treatment and prevention strategies. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a bibliometric mapping analysis of global RCTs on AD.
Methods: A bibliometric analysis of human RCTs on AD from September 2010 to September 2025 was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. VOSviewer was employed for keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship mapping, and co-citation analyses to identify research themes, collaborations, and temporal trends.
Results: A total of 4,482 RCTs were identified, revealing five main themes: pharmacological interventions, lifestyle and prevention strategies, pathophysiological mechanisms, cognitive and behavioral interventions, and clinical trial methodology. After 2015, focus shifted from traditional pharmacology to multidomain, prevention-oriented, and precision-driven approaches. Emerging topics included digital health, gut microbiome, and machine learning. Collaboration networks highlighted the dominance of the US and Europe, with rapid growth in Asia and emerging regions.
Conclusion: Findings indicate a paradigm shift in AD RCTs toward integrative, technology-enabled designs, emphasizing both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. These trends can guide future global research priorities and intervention development.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是世界上最常见的痴呆症，造成了巨大的临床和社会经济负担。随机对照试验（RCTs）为评估干预措施提供了最高水平的证据，但全球出版物趋势和专题演变尚未得到系统分析。目的：据我们所知，尽管随机对照试验对治疗和预防策略的发展具有关键影响，但尚未有文献计量学分析对阿尔茨海默病的随机对照试验进行全面评估。因此，在本研究中，我们对全球关于AD的rct进行了文献计量学制图分析。方法：利用PubMed和Web of Science对2010年9月至2025年9月的AD人类随机对照试验进行文献计量学分析。使用VOSviewer进行关键词共现、合著者映射和共被引分析，以确定研究主题、合作和时间趋势。结果：共纳入4,482项随机对照试验，揭示了5个主题：药物干预、生活方式和预防策略、病理生理机制、认知和行为干预以及临床试验方法。2015年后，重点从传统药理学转向多领域、以预防为导向、精准驱动的方法。新兴主题包括数字健康、肠道微生物组和机器学习。协作网络突出了美国和欧洲的主导地位，亚洲和新兴地区的快速增长。结论：研究结果表明，阿尔茨海默病随机对照试验的模式转向了综合的、技术支持的设计，强调了药物和非药物策略。这些趋势可以指导未来全球研究重点和干预措施的发展。
期刊介绍：
Dementia top Neuropsychologia the official scientific journal of the Cognitive Neurology and Ageing Department of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology and of the Brazilian Association of Geriatric Neuropsychiatry, is published by the "Associação Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento", a nonprofit Brazilian association. Regularly published on March, June, September, and December since 2007.
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