Seeing beyond words: Visualizing autism spectrum disorder biomarker insights

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Research
• Neuroscience
• Genetics

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research has seen significant growth.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers is crucial for precise ASD assessment and diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate global research trends in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) biomarkers.
• To identify critical research focal points and emerging areas.
• To discuss the integration of diverse biomarker modalities for precise ASD assessment.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of publications from the Web of Science Core Collection until December 31, 2022.
• Utilized visualization tools (R, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, gCLUTO) for network and co-citation analysis.
• Examined collaborative networks, keyword associations, and publication trends.

Main Results:

• ASD biomarker research began in 2004, with 4348 documents by end of 2022.
• The United States is the most prolific country; University of California, Davis is the leading institution.
• Key research areas include genetics, imaging, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, gut microbiota, and eye tracking. Emerging topics include DNA methylation, metabolomics, and resting-state fMRI.

Conclusions:

• The field of ASD biomarker research is dynamic and evolving.
• Future research should focus on individual stratification, methodological standardization, and integrating biomarker modalities.
• Longitudinal studies are essential for advancing ASD diagnosis and treatment precision.