Mirror therapy in the neuroadaptive training paradigm in rehabilitation and potential mechanisms of neural remodeling: a 20-year bibliometrics analysis

TL;DR

This paper analyzes 20 years of mirror therapy research to understand its role in rehabilitation and neural remodeling, highlighting trends and future directions.

Contribution

A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of mirror therapy's research trends and mechanisms over two decades.

Findings

Annual publication volume on mirror therapy has increased significantly from 2004 to 2024.

Collaboration networks show strong international cooperation in mirror therapy research.

Current research trends focus on mechanisms, clinical applications, and treatment areas.

Abstract

Mirror Therapy activates mirror neurons, promotes neural connection regeneration, promotes brain reorganization and motor recovery, and alleviates limb pain. This study uses bibliometric methods to analyze the research trends of Mirror Therapy, aiming to fill the current research gap and provide valuable insights and suggestions for future research.

Publications related to mirror therapy from 2004 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Data visualization and analysis were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica.

We included 728 papers in the analysis and noted an increasing trend in annual publication volume. Collaboration network analysis revealed close cooperation among scholars from these major countries and institutions. The high-frequency reference vocabulary related to mirror therapy is grouped through a clustering network, revealing the main directions and hotspots of research. Keyword burst analysis reveals current research trends, including mechanism exploration, clinical applications, and clinical treatment areas.

A 20-year bibliometric analysis of mirror therapy literature highlights its global expansion and diversification, particularly in neurology and rehabilitation, emphasizing its importance in pain relief and post-stroke recovery, with future interdisciplinary research focusing on biomarkers and neuroimaging to refine its clinical effectiveness.

Mirror therapy in neuroadaptive training: a 20-year bibliometric analysis on rehabilitation and neural remodeling mechanisms.
Flowchart titled “Mirror therapy in the neuroadaptive training paradigm in rehabilitation and potential mechanisms of neural remodeling: A 20-year bibliometrics analysis.” It shows connections between mirror therapy, stroke, core keywords, and bibliometric tools like VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Methods include publication trends, citation bursts, cooperative relationships, and research hotspots, depicted with graphs and maps.

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