AUTHOR=Deng Jiao , Yang Zhen , Wang Qing Mei , Lv Zhi Gang TITLE=Two decades of vagus nerve stimulation for stroke: a bibliometric analysis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025 YEAR=2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1531127 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2025.1531127 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=BackgroundStroke is a major global health concern, imposing significant medical and social burdens. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), an emerging neuromodulation technology, has shown potential in the treatment of stroke. This bibliometric analysis aims to explore the knowledge structure and research trends in the field of VNS for stroke from 2004 to 2024.MethodsPublications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct bibliometric analyses, including author productivity, institutional contributions, and emerging research themes etc.ResultsA total of 191 eligible publications were analysed. Kilgard, M. P., and Hays, S. A. were the most prolific authors, each contributing 26 publications. The USA (96 publications), China (69 publications), and Scotland (17 publications) were the most prolific countries. The University of Texas at Dallas (33 publications) was the most prolific institution, followed by Chongqing Medical University (19 publications) and the University of Glasgow (15 publications). Future research is expected to focus on: (1) neurophysiological mechanisms of VNS in stroke recovery; (2) synergistic effects of VNS with other rehabilitation therapies; (3) comparative efficacy of non-invasive transauricular VNS versus invasive VNS; (4) safety and effectiveness of VNS for post-stroke functional impairments beyond motor rehabilitation; and (5) optimisation of VNS parameters for stroke treatment.ConclusionThe field of VNS for stroke has experienced steady growth over the past two decades. This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights to guide future research, clinical applications, and policy developments.