SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neural Technology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1595061
This article is part of the Research TopicUltrasound Stimulation in Neurorehabilitation: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and ApplicationsView all 3 articles
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation in neuromodulation: a bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2024
Provisionally accepted- 1Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- 2Department of Orthopedics II, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique with promising clinical potential. Its therapeutic efficacy and safety are significantly influenced by stimulation parameters. However, the global research hotspots and future research trends of TUS application in the field of rehabilitation are unclear. Background: This study analyzes the status of TUS research. Understand the annual publication trends, international and institutional cooperation pattern and influential authors and journals and keyword hotspot. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on the Web of Science core database using TUS-related subject headings until 27 December 2024. Two researchers independently screened articles based on pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Software packages such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to visualize the results. Results: A total of 577 literatures were included. The results show that the annual publication volume shows an increasing trend, reaching a peak in 2024. The United States, China and Germany dominated the number of publications, with the largest number of institutions being Harvard University, the University of Toronto and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Brain stimulation is the journal with the most articles and citations. Research hotspots include transcranial magnetic stimulation, noninvasive brain stimulation, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: A bibliometric analysis of the literature shows that research interest in transcranial ultrasound stimulation is growing rapidly, with annual publications growing exponentially since 2013 and receiving increasing attention from researchers. The findings suggest that TUS is currently used primarily in neurological diseases, particularly in the study of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, it is found that an emerging international cooperation model with the partnership between the United States, China and Germany as the core has gradually taken shape. Although preclinical studies have shown promising neuromodulator effects, the current study suggests that TUS needs to undergo further multicenter clinical validation. These findings provide evidence to guide future research priorities for non-invasive neuromodulation.
Keywords: Physiotherapy, Transcranial ultrasound stimulation, non-invasive brain stimulation, Neuromodulation, bibliometric analysis
Received: 17 Mar 2025; Accepted: 29 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jingxuan, Yuling and Qie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuyan Qie, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.