AUTHOR=Zhang Jinhuan , Zhang Yangxin , Hu Liyu , Huang Xingxian , Liu Yongfeng , Li Jiaying , Hu Qingmao , Xu Jinping , Yu Haibo 

TITLE=Global Trends and Performances of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies on Acupuncture: A Bibliometric Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.620555

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2020.620555

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> To summarize development processes and research hotspots of MRI research on acupuncture and to provide new insights for researchers in future studies.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Publications regarding MRI on acupuncture from inception to 2020 were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection. VOSviewer 1.6.15 and CiteSpace V software were used for bibliometric analyses. The main analyses include collaboration analyses between countries/institutions/authors, co-occurrence analysis between keywords, as well as analyses on keyword bursts, citation references, and clusters of references.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> A total of 829 papers were obtained with a continually increased trend over time. The most productive country and institution in this field were the People's Republic of China (475) and KyungHee University (70), respectively. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (83) was the most productive journal, and Neuroimage (454) was the most co-cited journal. Dhond's et al. (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B17">2008</xref>) article (co-citation counts: 58) and Napadow's et al. (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B56">2005</xref>) article (centrality: 0.21) were the most representative and symbolic references, with the highest co-citation number and centrality, respectively. Jie Tian had the highest number of publications (35) and Kathleen K S Hui was the most influential author (280 co-citations). The four hot topics in MRI on acupuncture were acupuncture, fMRI, pain, and stimulation. The three frontier topics were connectivity, modulation, and fMRI. Based on the clustering of co-cited documents, chronic low back pain, sham electro-acupuncture treatment, and clinical research were the main research directions.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> This study provides an in-depth perspective for MRI research on acupuncture and provides researchers with valuable information to determine the current status, hot spots, and frontier trends of MRI research on acupuncture.</p>