Research trends on neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease: an exploratory analysis

Background Neuroinflammation is a core mechanism in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Research on PD and neuroinflammation has been steadily increasing. This study aims to explore and analyze the current status, hotspots, and future directions of neuroinflammation-associated research in PD. Method Data were retrieved from the Web of Science and PubMed databases. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the R package bibliometrix were used for data analysis and visualization. Results Publications on neuroinflammation in PD showed an upward trend. China had the most publications, while Norway exhibited the greatest influence. Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the most prolific institution, whereas Arizona State University demonstrated the strongest influence. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences was the most prolific journal in this field, and Cell had the strongest impact. The most productive author was Hong, Jau-Shyong, and the most influential author was Block, Michelle L. High-frequency keywords included PD, neuroinflammation, microglia, oxidative stress, alpha-synuclein, neurodegeneration, inflammation, and mouse models. Gut microbiota has become a recent focus of research. Conclusion Over the past two decades, research on neuroinflammation in PD has been continuously increasing. The research hotspots included microglia, oxidative stress, α -synuclein, brain-gut axis, and gut microbiota. This field is developing toward a multi-dimensional and in-depth exploration of mechanisms.