The Microbiome–Gut–Brain Axis and Dementia: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Background: Associations between the microbiome–gut–brain axis and dementia have attracted considerable attention in research literature. This study examined the microbiome–gut–brain axis and dementia-related research from a bibliometric perspective. Methods: A search for original research and review articles on the microbiome–gut–brain axis and dementia was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database. The R package “bibliometrix” was used to collect information on countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. VOSviewer software was used to visualize the co-occurrence network of keywords. Results: Overall, 494 articles met the study inclusion criteria, with an average of 29.64 citations per article. Corresponding authors of published articles were mainly from China, the United States and Italy. Zhejiang University in China and Kyung Hee University in Korea were the most active institutions, while the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Nutrients published the most articles in this field. Expected main search terms, “Parkinson disease” and “chain fatty-acids” were high-frequency keywords that indicate current and future research directions in this field. Conclusions: This bibliometric study helped researchers to identify the key topics and trends in the microbiome–gut–brain axis and dementia-related research. High-frequency keywords identified in this study reflect current trends and possible future directions in this field related to methodologies, mechanisms and populations of interest.