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REVIEW article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain-Computer Interfaces
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1486167
This article is part of the Research Topic Sensorimotor Decoding: Characterization and Modeling for Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Vol II View all articles

Knowledge mapping and research trends of brain-computer interface technology in rehabilitation: a bibliometric analysis

Provisionally accepted
Mingyue Liu Mingyue Liu 1Mingzhu Fang Mingzhu Fang 2Mengya Liu Mengya Liu 2Shasha Jin Shasha Jin 3Bin Liu Bin Liu 1Liang Wu Liang Wu 1*Zhe Li Zhe Li 2*
  • 1 Department of Sports Rehabilitation,Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Although the application of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology in rehabilitation has been extensively studied, a systematic and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of this area remains lacking. Thus, this study aims to analyze the research progress of BCI technology in rehabilitation through bibliometric methods.The study retrieved relevant publications on BCI technology in rehabilitation from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) between January 1, 2004, and June 30, 2024. The search was conducted using thematic queries, and the document types included "original articles" and "review articles." Bibliometric analysis and knowledge mapping were performed using the Bibliometrix package in R software and CiteSpace software.Results: During the study period, a total of 1,431 publications on BCI technology in rehabilitation were published by 4,932 authors from 1,281 institutions across 79 countries in 386 academic journals. The volume of research literature in this field has shown a steady upward trend. The United States of America(USA) and China are the primary contributors, with Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen being the most active research institution. The journal Frontiers in Neuroscience published the most articles, while the Journal of Neural Engineering was the most cited. Niels Birbaumer not only authored the most articles but also received the highest number of citations. The main research areas include neurology, sports medicine, and ophthalmology. The diverse applications of BCI technology in stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation, as well as the evaluation of BCI performance, are current research hotspots. Moreover, deep learning has demonstrated significant potential in BCI technology rehabilitation applications.This bibliometric study provides an overview of the research landscape and developmental trends of BCI technology in rehabilitation, offering valuable reference points for researchers in formulating future research strategies.

    Keywords: Brain-computer interface, Rehabilitation, bibliometric analysis, Hotspots and trends, Citespace

    Received: 25 Aug 2024; Accepted: 17 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Fang, Liu, Jin, Liu, Wu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Liang Wu, Department of Sports Rehabilitation,Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, Beijing, China
    Zhe Li, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.