Magnetic resonance imaging for spinocerebellar ataxia: a bibliometric analysis based on web of science

Abstract

The objective of this study was to review the history of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research on spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) over the last 16 years. We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of relevant scientific literature that explores the use of MRI in studying SCA using CiteSpace. A total of 761 scientific manuscripts, published between January 2009 and March 2025 and available in the Web of Science (WoS) database, were included in this analysis. A total of 197 out of 761 articles were analyzed using CiteSpace to determine the number and centrality of publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, cited references, and keywords related to MRI and SCA. Overall, the number of publications that use MRI to study SCA has gradually increased over the years. The United States, China, Italy, Germany, and Brazil are at the forefront in this research field; a total of 420 authors from 317 research institutions in these nations have published articles in neuroscience-related journals. Among the most cited publications are an article by Rezende et al. on brain structural damage in SCA3 patients and an review by Klockgether et al. on spinocerebellar ataxia. The keyword "spinocerebellar ataxia" has the highest frequency of occurrence. However, "feature" may become a research hotspot in the coming years based on the analysis of the keyword's citation burst. The findings of this bibliometric study provide a summary of the last 16 years of SCA research using MRI technology. More importantly, the present study identifies current trends and future research hotspots in the field, helping researchers to identify new and unexplored research areas.

Keywords: CiteSpace; bibliometrics; magnetic resonance imaging; spinocerebellar ataxia; spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Figure 1

Database search flow chart (software: WPS Office 2023, Kingsoft, China).

Figure 2

Annual number of publications about MRI for the study of SCA. The vertical y-axis represents the number of publications, while the horizontal x-axis represents the publication year. The numbers on the plot correspond to the number of publications per year. The dashed line indicates the publication trend. The graph was obtained using Office 2016 and the data from Citespace6.1.R2 analysis.

Figure 3

Country collaborative network analysis. The thickness of the outermost purple ring represents the size of the centrality. Other than that, different colors represent different years. The lines represent the connections between the nodes.

Figure 4

Institution collaborative network analysis. The thickness of the outermost purple ring represents the size of the centrality. Other than that, different colors represent different years. The lines represent the connections between the nodes.

Figure 5

Cited journals network analysis. The thickness of the outermost purple ring represents the size of the centrality. Other than that, different colors represent different years. The lines represent the connections between the nodes.

Figure 6

Network analysis of authors. The thickness of the outermost purple ring represents the size of the centrality. Other than that, different colors represent different years. The lines represent the connections between the nodes.

Figure 7

Network analysis of cited authors. The thickness of the outermost purple ring represents the size of the centrality. Other than that, different colors represent different years. The lines represent the connections between the nodes.

Figure 8

Analysis of keyword occurrence.

Figure 9

Keyword clustering mapping. Different colors represent different clusters, and cluster names are the most representative keywords in the cluster. The smaller the number in front, the more keywords are included in the cluster.

Figure 10

Keyword timeline view. The labels and IDs of the cluster are on the right side of the figure. The position of the node on the timeline represents the year in which the keyword first appeared.

Figure 11

Analysis of the keyword’s citation burst. Year indicates the year of the first occurrence. Strength indicates the magnitude of the burst. Begin and end show the year span in which the burst happened. The blue line on the graph represents the overall time interval, while the red line specifically marks the time period during which a keyword exhibited a burst.

Figure 12

Screenshot of the density view.