GLP-1 receptor agonists and psychiatric outcomes: a bibliometric analysis of research trends, thematic evolution, and collaboration networks.

INTRODUCTION

Research on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and psychiatric outcomes has expanded rapidly following the clinical success of semaglutide, pharmacoepidemiological signals on psychiatric adverse events, and growing regulatory scrutiny, yet the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of this interdisciplinary field remain uncharacterised. We aimed to map publication trends, conceptual structure, thematic evolution, and collaboration networks of research on GLP-1 RAs and psychiatric outcomes.

METHODS

Bibliographic records were retrieved independently from OpenAlex, Lens.org, and PubMed (MEDLINE) on 8 April 2026, using parallel Boolean searches restricted to title and abstract fields. After cross-database deduplication and cleaning, 2, 197 documents (1990--2026) were retained. Performance analysis, science mapping (keyword co-occurrence, collaboration networks), and thematic analysis (Callon's centrality-density map, thematic evolution) were performed using the bibliometrix R package.

RESULTS

The field showed exponential growth, with annual output rising from fewer than 10 publications before 2004 to nearly 500 in 2025. The corpus spanned 1, 063 journals, 9, 269 authors, and 85 countries (h-index 101; mean 21.9 citations/document). Thematic mapping placed depression in the niche themes quadrant (high density, low centrality), while obesity and diabetes mellitus occupied the basic themes quadrant. Thematic evolution showed depression emerging as a distinct research front only in 2022--2026.

DISCUSSION: Depression research within the GLP-1 RA literature has developed internal coherence as a niche theme but remains peripheral to the dominant metabolic research front. Bridging this gap through large cardiometabolic trials with psychiatric co-primary endpoints represents a key priority for future research.