Research Trends and Progress of Microglia in Parkinson's Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence indicates that microglia play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of Parkinson's disease. Through extensive bibliometric analysis, this study aims to elucidate focal areas and emerging hotspots in this field.

METHODS

Literature on microglia and Parkinson's disease was systematically searched in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), including SCIE, SSCI, and ESCI, from the establishment of the WoSCC to December 31, 2025. The study carried out bibliometric visualization and network analysis with the software tools CiteSpace and VOSviewer.

RESULTS

This study analyzed a collection of 7,371 articles. Since 1988, publications have shown a trend of fluctuating growth. The USA contributed the most studies among all countries, while the National Institutes of Health was the leading research institution. The Journal of Neuroinflammation published the most articles in this field, and the Journal of Neuroscience was the most co-cited jour-nal. Hong, Jau-Shyong, had the most productive output, and McGeer, P.L., was the most co-cited author. The keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence were "Parkinson's disease", "Microglia", and "Neuroinflammation".

DISCUSSION: Our research shows that exploration of microglia and Parkinson's disease is deepening, highlighting the need for enhanced international and institutional collaboration to further advance this field. Early studies in this field mainly focused on the mechanisms by which microglia promote dopaminergic neuron damage through an inflammatory response and oxidative stress, especially the pathological changes in the substantia nigra. At present, autophagy, the NLRP3 inflammasome, and the gut microbiota are emerging research hotspots.

CONCLUSION

This study systematically maps the current research landscape in microglia and Parkinson's disease, identifying key knowledge domains and emerging frontiers to guide future investigations into underlying mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.