Bibliometric Visualization Analysis of Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis from 2004 to 2020

Abstract

Background The microbiome-gut-brain axis (MGBA) is the biochemical signal of the digestive tract and central nervous system. MGBA disorders have been increasingly involved in the pathological process of neurological diseases. This study aimed to investigate the research hot spots of MGBA from 2004 to 2020. Material/Methods Using bibliometric analysis from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, 3993 documents on the MGBA were retrieved and visual analysis was conducted. Results The MGBA has received attention worldwide and will continue to be a research hot spot. Emerging research organizations and scholars of the MGBA and the research of John F. Cryan and colleagues from Ireland in the MGBA have been recognized by many scholars. However, the research of Chinese scholars and organizations appeared to have less impact due to lack of research innovation and collaboration with other countries/regions. Keyword analysis showed that neuroinflammation was a hot spot and that eminent scholars had begun to work in the field of MGBA. Conclusions This work provided an overall view of the literature on the MGBA worldwide, and the analysis provided a comprehensive overview of MGBA research. It further revealed the interaction between the gut microbiota (eg, Akkermansia, Parabacteroides ) and the specific regulatory network of the gut microbiota and metabolites, neuroinflammation, and neural networks, which can facilitate the development of effective treatment strategies using microbiota for targeting neuroinflammation and conducting large-scale clinical trials of neurological diseases.

Brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders: A perspective from bibliometric and visual analysis

“…the past decade, which is in line with the overall trend of the brain-gut axis (45,46) and microbiome research (47-49). The annual publication numbers pattern included a stable (before 2013) and rapid growth period (2013 and afterward), indicating that the exploration of the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders is an emerging hot research topic (45). This may be related to the release of the second phase of the Integrative Human Microbiome Project (iHMP) funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2013 (50).…”

“…Overall, 2,298 publications were identified between 1993 and 2022. The number of publications on the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders has rapidly grown, especially during the past decade, which is in line with the overall trend of the brain-gut axis ( 45 , 46 ) and microbiome research ( 47 – 49 ). The annual publication numbers pattern included a stable (before 2013) and rapid growth period (2013 and afterward), indicating that the exploration of the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders is an emerging hot research topic ( 45 ).…”

“…This may be related to the release of the second phase of the Integrative Human Microbiome Project (iHMP) funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2013 ( 50 ). Some studies have predicted that the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders will continue to gain strong attention in the coming decade ( 45 ).…”

“…The research team at the University of College Cork contributed more than 20% of publications to the area of brain-gut axis and mental disorders, which was consistent with their outputs reported in other studies, such as microbiome and IBS ( 52 ), depression ( 49 ), and obesity ( 48 ). The most influential authors in leading research on the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders from University College Cork with strong collaborations with other research fields involved gastroenterology, microbiology, and neurology, all of which provided new perspectives on the intervention and treatment of conditions such as depression, ASD, and obesity ( 45 ). In addition, they first proposed and strengthened the research on “psychobiotic” ( 53 ), which contributed to the growing publications on the brain-gut axis and psychiatric disorders.…”

Mapping trends and hotspot regarding gastrointestinal microbiome and neuroscience: A bibliometric analysis of global research (2002–2022)

“…This approach, which has been used in a variety of domestic and international fields, offers a diverse perspective that traditional literature reviews and systematic reviews cannot ( Chen et al, 2014 ; Cesarano et al, 2021 ; Ma S. et al, 2021 ; Pan et al, 2021 ; Pasin and Pasin, 2021 ; Shi et al, 2021 ; Wu et al, 2021a ; Fu et al, 2022 ). Bibliometric analysis has been widely used in the field of microbial science, such as microbiome and COVID-19 ( Xavier-Santos et al, 2022 ), gut microbiota and host immune response ( Ni et al, 2022 ), gut microbiota and atherosclerosis ( Wang Y. et al, 2022 ), microbiome-gut-brain axis ( Wang H. et al, 2022 ), gut microbiota and heart failure ( Mu et al, 2022 ), gut microbiome and cancer ( Zyoud et al, 2022 ), the intestinal microbiome and inflammatory bowel disease ( Xu et al, 2022 ), gut microbiota and Parkinson’s disease ( Cabanillas-Lazo et al, 2022 ), and gut microbiota and depression ( Zhu et al, 2021 ).…”