A scientometric analysis of research on the role of NMDA receptor in the treatment of depression.
Xulin Chen, Xian Wang, Caijuan Li, Yao Zhang, Shanwu Feng, Shiqin Xu
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1394730 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scientometric analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5,092 |
| Population | Publications on NMDA receptors in depression from 2004 to 2023 |
| Duration | 2004 to 2023 |
| Topics | Depression Ketamine |
| Keywords | Nmda receptor Bibliometrics Evidence synthesis Research trends Scientometrics Ketamine therapy Depression treatment Neuroscience research Psychopharmacology |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key points | Ketamine and its mechanisms in major depressive disorder remain a research hotspot, but side effects have prompted investigation into new rapid-acting antidepressants. |
Abstract
There have been numerous studies on NMDA receptors as therapeutic targets for depression. However, so far, there has been no comprehensive scientometric analysis of this field. Thus, we conducted a scientometric analysis with the aim of better elucidating the research hotspots and future trends in this field. Publications on NMDAR in Depression between 2004 and 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. Then, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and R-bibliometrix-were used for the scientometric analysis and visualization. 5,092 qualified documents were identified to scientometric analysis. In the past 20 years, there has been an upward trend in the number of annual publications. The United States led the world in terms of international collaborations, publications, and citations. 15 main clusters were identified from the co-cited references analysis with notable modularity (Q-value = 0.7628) and silhouette scores (S-value = 0.9171). According to the keyword and co-cited references analysis, treatment-resistant depression ketamine (an NMDAR antagonist), oxidative stress, synaptic plasticity, neuroplasticity related downstream factors like brain-derived neurotrophic factor were the research hotspots in recent years. As the first scientometric analysis of NMDAR in Depression, this study shed light on the development, trends, and hotspots of research about NMDAR in Depression worldwide. The application and potential mechanisms of ketamine in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) are still a hot research topic at present. However, the side effects of NMDAR antagonist like ketamine have prompted research on new rapid acting antidepressants.