# Knowledge map of transcranial magnetic stimulation for insomnia: a bibliometric and visual analysis

## TL;DR

This paper maps the research landscape of transcranial magnetic stimulation for insomnia using bibliometric analysis, showing growth trends and key contributors.

## Contribution

The study provides a visual and scientometric analysis of TMS research for insomnia, highlighting key authors, institutions, and research clusters.

## Key findings

- Publication growth in TMS for insomnia has accelerated since 2016, with the USA and China as leading contributors.
- Low-frequency TMS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex shows superior therapeutic outcomes for insomnia.
- Randomized trials and systematic reviews dominate the research content in this field.

## Abstract

Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders, severely impacting an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing, diminishing work efficiency and alertness levels, and potentially even causing accidents, thereby exacerbating the economic burden on both individuals and society. The primary treatments for insomnia encompass pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological therapy. Given the potential side effects associated with pharmacological therapy, there is an urgent need for the application of safe and effective non-pharmacological interventions. Technologies like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have gained widespread adoption in clinical practice globally due to their non-invasive nature, penetration capabilities, and ease of operation.

The study aimed to probe the trend direction and map the knowledge domain of TMS for insomnia through bibliometrics.

Publications cognate to TMS for insomnia were retrospectively collected from the WoS database, PubMed, and Scopus from 1980 to 31 December 2024. Next, these data were compiled into scientific maps using the VOSviewer and CiteSpace software.

The cumulative publication trend is increasing yearly, and the growth becomes more apparent since 2016. Moreover, the countries with the highest yield are the USA and China. Collaboration between institutions is more focused on universities in the USA and China. Wang Y is the most prolific author, the “Sleep” journal has the most publications, and the most meaningful journal is “Neuroimage.” Journals tend to lay particular stress on neuroscience majors. Riemann D is the most cited author, and depression, anxiety, and double-blind are the high-frequency research topics in this field. Huang ZY’s 2018 paper published in the Brain Stimulation journal is an important reference. Randomized trials of TMS for insomnia and systematic reviews are the main contents.

Through scientometric analysis of studies on TMS for insomnia, we visualize the involvement of countries, authors, institutions, cited authors, keywords, and cited references using a knowledge graph. Cluster analysis has revealed the primary research areas in this domain, focusing on the preference for low-frequency TMS in treating insomnia and the superior therapeutic outcomes achieved through stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These discoveries serve as a guide for clinical practitioners in conducting subsequent research endeavors. This is crucial for swiftly and precisely identifying key information in this field.