A Bibliometric Analysis of Neuroinflammation in Depression from 2004 to 2023: Global Research Hotspots and Prospects.

Background: Neuroinflammation lays a prominent impact in the pathophysiology of depression, and numerous studies have been conducted in recent decades. Bibliometric analysis is of important for understanding the hot spots and research trends in a certain subject field. However, no systematic bibliometric study exists in this field to date. The purpose of the study focused on the trends and hotspots in neuroinflammation of depression and provided future researchers with guidance and sights. Methods: Publications (2004-2023) were obtained from the WoSCC, and analyzed by HistCite, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix. The impact of publications was assessed by TGCS. Results: We analyzed 1,496 articles published in 409 journals and authored by 46,533 researchers across 72 countries and regions. The most prolific countries were China, the USA, and Brazil, and the most cited countries were the USA, followed with China and the UK, while the most prolific and cited institution was University Toronto (records=34, TGCS=2,137). Brain Behavior and Immunity is the leading journal that regularly published research in this field (records=93, TGCS=6,247). NLRP3 inflammasome, microglia, TNF-α, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were the basis of neuroinflammation in depression. C-reactive protein, an important marker of inflammation, has been discussed for the longest time in this disease. In recent five years, two most frontier potential areas in studying depression were gut microbiota dysbiosis and BDNF. Conclusions: There remains a strong research basis for neuroinflammation in depression from this bibliometric analysis. Microglial activation, gut microbiota, cytokine signaling, and oxidative stress were research hotspots in recent years. In the future, chronic stress, hippocampal structure, and gut microbiota will continue to be studied in the field of neuroinflammation in depression. This study may benefit scientists in identifying potential directions for future study and providing clinicians with new ideas for treatment.