Brain-Computer Interface for Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Bibliometric Study.

BACKGROUND

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition with profound implications on patients' quality of life. Recent advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have provided novel opportunities for individuals with paralysis due to SCI. Consequently, research on the application of BCI for treating SCI has received increasing attention from scholars worldwide. However, there is a lack of rigorous bibliometric studies on the evolution and trends in this field. Hence, the present study aimed to use bibliometric methods to investigate the current status and emerging trends in the field of applying BCI for treating SCI and thus identify novel therapeutic options for SCI.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant literature on BCI applications for treating SCI published between 2005 and 2024 by using the Web of Science Core Collection database. To facilitate visualization and quantitative analysis of the published literature, we used VOSviewer and CiteSpace software tools. These tools enabled the assessment of co-authorships, co-occurrences, citations, and co-citations in the selected literature, thereby providing an overview of the current trends and predictive insights into the field.

RESULTS

The literature search yielded 714 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The findings indicated a significant upward trend in the number of publications, yielding a total of 24,804 citations, with an average citation rate of 34.74 per publication and an H-index of 75. Research contributions were identified from 54 countries/regions, and the United States, China, and Germany emerged as the predominant contributors. A total of 1114 research institutions contributed to the retrieved literature, with Harvard Medical School, Brown University, and Northwestern University producing the highest number of publications. The published literature was predominantly distributed across 258 academic journals, and the Journal of Neural Engineering was the most frequently utilized publication source. Hochberg, Leigh, Henderson, Jaimie, and Collinger were the prominent authors in this field.

CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, there has been a steep increase in research on the use of BCI for treating SCI. Existing research focuses on the application of BCI for improving rehabilitation and quality of life of patients with SCI. Interdisciplinary collaboration is the current trend in this field.