Cai Ziming, Xiong Gongpeng, Wu Jintao, Zhang Hanjun, Huang Jian, Yu Qinghe, Lin Wenping
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China.
Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Brain Behav. 2025 Sep;15(9):e70881. doi: 10.1002/brb3.70881.
Spinal cord injury (SCI), acknowledged as the most severe complication arising from spinal trauma, pertains to the dysfunction of the spinal cord due to traumatic events or other pathological conditions. Extensive research has elucidated a substantial correlation between SCI and inflammatory processes, highlighting the critical involvement of microglia in orchestrating neuroinflammatory responses. Moreover, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated a strong connection between microglial activation and both the pathogenesis and progression of SCI.
We chose bibliometric analysis to comprehensively summarize the research progress of microglia in SCI, aiming to provide researchers with current trends and future research directions.
All articles and reviews addressing microglia in SCI were systematically retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database, spanning publications from 2000 to 2024. Subsequent bibliometric analysis was conducted utilizing four analytical tools: VOSviewer (version 1.6.20), R software (package bibliometrix), the Biblioshiny web interface, and CiteSpace (version 6.2.R4), ensuring comprehensive examination of publication patterns and research trends.
A total of 2428 publications were ultimately included in this bibliometric analysis. The annual publication count demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory. China is the country with the most published articles, and Ohio State University ranks first in institutional publications. Experimental Neurology is the journal with the most published articles, while Journal of Neuroscience is the journal with the most cited articles. Popovich Pg is the author with the highest productivity and co-citation. Cluster analysis yielded a total of 15 different co-citation clusters. Time analysis shows explosive citation outbreaks in 2006, 2009, and 2011. Keyword analysis revealed inflammation, expression, activation, and central nervous system as the most frequently occurring terms. Recent keyword trends feature emerging terms like exosomes, extracellular vesicles, and nanoparticles. Keyword bursts revealed promotes, extracellular vesicle, recovery, neuroinflammation, therapy, polarization, and pathway are the hotspots of research at the present stage and are likely to continue. These findings provide critical insights for developing microglia-targeted therapeutic strategies and prioritizing research directions in neuroinflammatory modulation to improve functional recovery after SCI.
Emerging research frontiers prominently feature exosomes, gut microbiota, and nanoparticles. The interplay between microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and SCI has emerged as a critical focal point in current scientific investigations and is anticipated to remain central to forthcoming scientific inquiries.
脊髓损伤（SCI）被认为是脊髓创伤最严重的并发症，是指由于创伤性事件或其他病理状况导致的脊髓功能障碍。广泛的研究已经阐明了SCI与炎症过程之间的显著相关性，突出了小胶质细胞在协调神经炎症反应中的关键作用。此外，越来越多的证据表明小胶质细胞激活与SCI的发病机制和进展都密切相关。
我们选择文献计量分析来全面总结小胶质细胞在SCI中的研究进展，旨在为研究人员提供当前趋势和未来研究方向。
从Web of Science核心合集数据库中系统检索了所有关于SCI中小胶质细胞的文章和综述，涵盖2000年至2024年的出版物。随后使用四种分析工具进行文献计量分析：VOSviewer（1.6.20版本）、R软件（bibliometrix包）、Biblioshiny网络界面和CiteSpace（6.2.R4版本），以确保全面考察出版模式和研究趋势。
本文献计量分析最终纳入了2428篇出版物。年度出版物数量呈持续上升趋势。中国是发表文章最多的国家，俄亥俄州立大学在机构出版物方面排名第一。《实验神经病学》是发表文章最多的期刊，而《神经科学杂志》是被引用次数最多的期刊。波波维奇·Pg是生产力和共被引次数最高的作者。聚类分析共产生了15个不同的共被引聚类。时间分析显示在2006年、2009年和2011年出现了爆发性的引用高峰。关键词分析表明炎症、表达、激活和中枢神经系统是最常出现的术语。最近的关键词趋势呈现出如外泌体、细胞外囊泡和纳米颗粒等新兴术语。关键词突现显示促进、细胞外囊泡、恢复、神经炎症、治疗、极化和途径是现阶段的研究热点，并且可能会持续下去。这些发现为制定针对小胶质细胞的治疗策略以及确定神经炎症调节方面的研究方向以改善SCI后的功能恢复提供了关键见解。
新兴的研究前沿突出表现为外泌体、肠道微生物群和纳米颗粒。小胶质细胞介导的神经炎症与SCI之间的相互作用已成为当前科学研究的关键焦点，并预计在未来的科学探究中仍将占据核心地位。
