Research Trends and Evolution of Astrocytes in Depression and Antidepressant Treatment: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Abstract

Background: Astrocytes have emerged as key players in the pathogenesis of depression and antidepressant treatment. However, comprehensive reviews in this field were absent. The bibliometric analysis can effectively illustrate research trends and hotspots of a specific domain through analysis of publications.

Objective: We conducted a bibliometric analysis to overview the current hotspots and research trends of astrocytes in depression and antidepressant treatment.

Methods: We collected publications' data from the science citation index expanded (SCI-E) of the Web of Science (WOS) database, and bibliometric analysis was applied through CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. Results were mapped via GraphPad Prism, Adobe Photoshop, and R software.

Results: After analysis of 2896 publications, we analyzed the content of publications, most influential publications, productive journals, most cited journals, core authors, productive countries/regions, and institutions in this field. The cooperation of main countries and organizations was mapped. Most importantly, after a thorough analysis of keywords, we found neuroinflammation is a hot topic in this research field.

Conclusions: The results of the bibliometric study prove neuroinflammation is a hot topic in this research field. Nowadays, many studies have investigated the role of astrocytes in depression and antidepressant treatment from the perspective of neuroinflammation. It is essential to pay more attention to elucidating the mechanisms of astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation to identify potential targets for antidepressant development.