Bibliometric Analysis of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Therapy for Post-Stroke Unilateral Neglect

Unilateral neglect is a common and disabling cognitive disorder following stroke and is associated with poor functional recovery. Non-invasive brain stimulation has emerged as a potential intervention. To investigate the development status, research hotspots, and future trends of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in the treatment of post-stroke unilateral neglect (UN), providing evidence-based references for clinical practitioners.

Literature on NIBS applications for post-stroke UN was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection up to April 12, 2025. VOSviewer and SCImago Graphica were used to visualize collaborations among countries, authors, and institutions. CiteSpace was employed to analyze co-cited journals and references, while R language and CiteSpace tools were applied to investigate the temporal evolution of keywords, clustering features, and their prominence in specific years.

A total of 103 articles were included, with annual publications showing an upward trend. The United States ranked first in both publication volume and citation frequency. Johns Hopkins University contributed the most publications, and researcher Hillis and Argye E. had the highest publication and citation counts. The journal BRAIN received the most citations. Keywords primarily focused on intervention methods, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and optokinetic stimulation (OKS), as well as brain regions implicated in UN pathogenesis, including the temporoparietal junction and parietal lobe.

NIBS techniques (e.g., TMS, tDCS) have become common interventions for post-stroke UN. Research emphasizes the efficacy validation of different technologies and the synergistic effects of combining peripheral interventions with central regulation. Emerging technologies like GVS and tACS are gaining attention. Future studies may further explore the clinical applicability of diverse NIBS techniques and optimize early intervention strategies for acute stroke patients.