AI Insight
This bibliometric analysis of 810 studies published between 2000 and 2025 found that neuromodulation research for substance use disorders has grown rapidly at 14.16% annually, but shows a marked imbalance: 82.8% of studies are clinical while only 12.5% are preclinical. The research focuses primarily on alcohol and nicotine/tobacco use, which are studied almost exclusively in clinical settings, while cocaine and opioid research retains more preclinical investigation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation are the three most studied techniques.
Why it matters
The findings reveal a structural gap in neuromodulation research for addiction, with insufficient preclinical mechanistic studies to support clinical trials. This asymmetry may limit the development of evidence-based neuromodulation treatments for substance use disorders, suggesting that greater integration between laboratory and clinical research is needed to optimize therapeutic interventions.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) remain common worldwide and inadequately treated. Neuromodulation targets neural circuits involved in reward, craving, and cognitive control. However, the primary research literature has not been systematically mapped regarding the relative contributions of clinical and preclinical studies. Methods: We conducted a multi-database bibliometric analysis of primary studies on neuromodulation for SUD. Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched covering 2000-2025. After scope classification and exclusion of secondary literature, 810 primary research documents remained. Performance analysis and science mapping were performed with bibliometrix and VOSviewer. Results: Scientific output grew at a compound annual growth rate of 14.16% (2001-2025), accelerating after 2015. Of 810 studies, 82.8% were clinical, 12.5% preclinical, and 4.7% mixed/translational. Alcohol (31.5%) and nicotine/tobacco (25.7%) dominated the literature and were overwhelmingly clinical (>92%), whereas cocaine and opioids retained larger preclinical shares (24-27%). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was the leading modality (31.6%), followed by deep brain stimulation (24.9%) and transcranial direct current stimulation (24.2%). Keyword co-occurrence revealed three clusters: a clinical neuromodulation core, a nicotine/tobacco axis, and a preclinical reward-circuitry module. The United States and China led in output. Conclusions: Neuromodulation research for SUD is expanding rapidly and is heavily skewed toward clinical investigations. A persistent clinical-preclinical asymmetry and limited explicitly translational work constitute structural features of the field. Greater integration between mechanistic and clinical research is needed to advance definitive trials.