Insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease: Exploring research hotspots and frontiers from a bibliometric and visual...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and insulin resistance (IR) share intersecting pathological pathways, with IR increasingly implicated in AD pathogenesis. Systematic bibliometric analyses mapping the evolution of this interdisciplinary field remain limited.

To quantify global research trends, collaboration networks, knowledge structures, and emerging frontiers in IR-AD research from 2005-2024.

We analyzed 2676 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection. Using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and bibliometrix R package, we conducted quantitative analyses and visualized multiple dimensions including annual publications/citations, countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords.

Annual publications grew steadily, peaking at 267 in 2022. The United States dominated productivity (942 papers, 35.2%) and citations (88,170). The University of Kentucky was the top institution (53 papers), while the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease led in output (214 papers) and co-citations (8046). Keyword analysis revealed three clusters: metabolic dysregulation, molecular pathology, and neuroimmune responses. Emerging frontiers highlight neuroimmune mechanisms, with current hotspots focusing on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, gut-brain axis dysregulation, glucose transporter impairment, and therapeutic repurposing of GLP-1 agonists.

These findings underscore IR-AD as a critical intersection of metabolic and neurodegenerative pathways, advocating for targeted therapies addressing neuroinflammation and cerebral metabolism. By delineating global trends, this study provides a roadmap for future research to bridge translational gaps in AD pathogenesis and treatment.