Mapping the evolution of neuroscience research: scientific collaboration, thematic structure, and emerging research frontiers

  • Sofiyanita Sofiyanita 
    Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau
    Indonesia
  • Zona Octaria
    Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Pekanbaru
    Indonesia

Abstract

Neuroscience has matured into a large, multidisciplinary field whose rapid growth has fragmented it into many loosely connected subdomains, making its intellectual and social structure difficult to grasp through narrative review alone. This study maps the evolution of neuroscience research in terms of publication output, scientific collaboration, thematic structure, and emerging frontiers. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 2,710 English-language articles exported from Scopus (1973–2026; snapshot 29 August 2026). Performance analysis and science mapping were performed, and co-authorship, keyword co-occurrence, and citation networks were visualized in VOSviewer. Data were audited and conservatively cleaned; author keywords were normalized and a publisher subject-collection prefix was documented and neutralized. The corpus accumulated 140,375 citations (mean 51.8 per document) and showed non-linear growth: a high-impact wave in 2005–2009 and a second, larger expansion from 2022 onward. Collaboration was near-universal (91.7% multi-authored; mean 6.25 authors/document) yet the co-authorship network was highly fragmented into small, weakly connected communities. Keyword co-occurrence revealed a neuroscience-centred structure organized around neurogenesis/neural-stem-cell biology, systems and behavioural neuroscience, and a cell-biology/organoid axis; temporal mapping showed a shift from classical adult-neurogenesis anatomy toward organoid- and cell-biology-driven, methods-intensive research. Neuroscience remains anchored in a strong disciplinary core while expanding unevenly toward organoid technologies and, more peripherally, toward learning and educational neuroscience; chemistry education was not identified within the corpus on the indicators used, pointing to a possible under-explored interface rather than a demonstrated gap. Findings describe bibliometric patterns within this Scopus-defined corpus and are descriptive rather than confirmatory.

Keywords
  • Bibliometric analysis
  • Co-authorship
  • Neuroscience
  • Science mapping
  • Keyword co-occurrence
Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
Sofiyanita, S., & Zona Octaria. (2026). Mapping the evolution of neuroscience research: scientific collaboration, thematic structure, and emerging research frontiers. Southeast Asian Journal of Technology and Science, 7(1), 316–327. https://doi.org/10.29210/810712800
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX
References
  1. Andersen, J. P., Krogsgaard, K., Engel, A. M., & Schneider, J. W. (2018). Mapping international impact of Danish neuroscience from 2004 to 2015 using tailored scientometric methodology. European Journal of Neuroscience, 47(3), 193–200.
  2. Ansari, D., & Coch, D. (2006). Bridges over troubled waters: Education and cognitive neuroscience. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(4), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.02.007
  3. Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
  4. Broadus, R. N. (1987). Toward a definition of “bibliometrics”. Scientometrics, 12(5–6), 373–379.
  5. Callon, M., Courtial, J. P., Turner, W. A., & Bauin, S. (1983). From translations to problematic networks: An introduction to co-word analysis. Social Science Information, 22(2), 191–235.
  6. Carew, T. J., & Magsamen, S. H. (2010). Neuroscience and education: An ideal partnership for producing evidence-based solutions to guide 21st-century learning. Neuron, 67(5), 685–688.
  7. Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(7), 1382–1402.
  8. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
  9. Drake, R. L., McBride, J. M., Lachman, N., & Pawlina, W. (2009). Medical education in the anatomical sciences: The winds of change continue to blow. Anatomical Sciences Education, 2(6), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.117
  10. Goswami, U. (2006). Neuroscience and education: From research to practice? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7(5), 406–413.
  11. Hobson, J. A., Pace-Schott, E. F., & Stickgold, R. (2000). Dreaming and the brain: Toward a cognitive neuroscience of conscious states. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), 793–842. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00003976
  12. Hochbaum, D. R., Zhao, Y., Farhi, S. L., Klapoetke, N., Werley, C. A., Kapoor, V., … Cohen, A. E. (2014). All-optical electrophysiology in mammalian neurons using engineered microbial rhodopsins. Nature Methods, 11(8), 825–833. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3000
  13. Kawasaki, H., Mizuseki, K., Nishikawa, S., Kaneko, S., Kuwana, Y., Nakanishi, S., … Sasai, Y. (2000). Induction of midbrain dopaminergic neurons from ES cells by stromal cell-derived inducing activity. Neuron, 28(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0896-6273(00)00083-0
  14. Keirstead, H. S., Nistor, G., Bernal, G., Totoiu, M., Cloutier, F., Sharp, K., & Steward, O. (2005). Human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cell transplants remyelinate and restore locomotion after spinal cord injury. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(19), 4694–4705. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0311-05.2005
  15. Kessler, M. M. (1963). Bibliographic coupling between scientific papers. American Documentation, 14(1), 10–25.
  16. Kirsch, P., Esslinger, C., Chen, Q., Mier, D., Lis, S., Siddhanti, S., … Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2005). Oxytocin modulates neural circuitry for social cognition and fear in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 25(49), 11489–11493. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3984-05.2005
  17. Kotter, M. R., Li, W.-W., Zhao, C., & Franklin, R. J. M. (2006). Myelin impairs CNS remyelination by inhibiting oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(1), 328–332. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2615-05.2006
  18. Lancaster, M. A., Renner, M., Martin, C.-A., Wenzel, D., Bicknell, L. S., Hurles, M. E., … Knoblich, J. A. (2013). Cerebral organoids model human brain development and microcephaly. Nature, 501(7467), 373–379.
  19. Lancaster, M. A., & Knoblich, J. A. (2014). Generation of cerebral organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Nature Protocols, 9(10), 2329–2340. https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2014.158
  20. Mayer, E. A., Knight, R., Mazmanian, S. K., Cryan, J. F., & Tillisch, K. (2014). Gut microbes and the brain: Paradigm shift in neuroscience. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15490–15496. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3299-14.2014
  21. Menn, B., García-Verdugo, J. M., Yaschine, C., González-Pérez, O., Rowitch, D., & Alvarez-Buylla, A. (2006). Origin of oligodendrocytes in the subventricular zone of the adult brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(30), 7907–7918. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1299-06.2006
  22. Ming, G.-L., & Song, H. (2011). Adult neurogenesis in the mammalian brain: Significant answers and significant questions. Neuron, 70(4), 687–702.
  23. Ohab, J. J., Fleming, S., Blesch, A., & Carmichael, S. T. (2006). A neurovascular niche for neurogenesis after stroke. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(50), 13007–13016. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4323-06.2006
  24. Pritchard, A. (1969). Statistical bibliography or bibliometrics? Journal of Documentation, 25(4), 348–349.
  25. Sigman, M., Peña, M., Goldin, A. P., & Ribeiro, S. (2014). Neuroscience and education: Prime time to build the bridge. Nature Neuroscience, 17(4), 497–502.
  26. Small, H. (1973). Co-citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 24(4), 265–269.
  27. Tysseling-Mattiace, V. M., Sahni, V., Niece, K. L., Birch, D., Czeisler, C., Fehlings, M. G., … Kessler, J. A. (2008). Self-assembling nanofibers inhibit glial scar formation and promote axon elongation after spinal cord injury. Journal of Neuroscience, 28(14), 3814–3823. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0143-08.2008
  28. van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3
  29. Van Sickle, M. D., Duncan, M., Kingsley, P. J., Mouihate, A., Urbani, P., Mackie, K., … Sharkey, K. A. (2005). Identification and functional characterization of brainstem cannabinoid CB2 receptors. Science, 310(5746), 329–332. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1115740
  30. Wijdicks, E. F. M., Bamlet, W. R., Maramattom, B. V., Manno, E. M., & McClelland, R. L. (2005). Validation of a new coma scale: The FOUR score. Annals of Neurology, 58(4), 585–593. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.20611
  31. Yamashita, T., Ninomiya, M., Hernández Acosta, P., García-Verdugo, J. M., Sunabori, T., Sakaguchi, M., … Sawamoto, K. (2006). Subventricular zone-derived neuroblasts migrate and differentiate into mature neurons in the post-stroke adult striatum. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(24), 6627–6636. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0149-06.2006
  32. Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629

Similar Articles

1 2 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Downloads

PDF

Statistic

Abstract Views
: 29 times
PDF
: 4 times