Bibliometrics and Visualization Analysis of Neuromuscular Junction Model

Objective: Neuromuscular junctions, which are responsible for voluntary motor function, are the chemical synapses between motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers. In this study, we performed a scientometric analysis that can be used to construct and visualize networks of neuromuscular junction model (NMJM) using bibliometric methods. Materials and Methods: A literature survey for NMJM was conducted using “TS= (neuromuscular junction model),” including literature titles, abstracts, and keywords, under the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Document production was analyzed by document citation, source journals, authors, highly cited documents, countries, organizations, impact factors. Results: A total of 2046 articles published over the past two decades were retrieved and analyzed. Our results showed that the number of publications in NMJM has increased rapidly over the past 20 years. The most productive author in terms of total publications about NMJM was Thomas H. Gillingwater with 27 documents, who worked at the University of Miami. The geographic distribution of publications showed that majority of them were from the USA. In addition, the research hotspot of NMJM was expanding from the establishment of NMJM to mechanistic studies of diseases. Conclusions: This study provides a unique perspective for understanding the evaluative history and future trends of NMJM.