# From knowledge landscapes to network mechanisms: charting regulated cell death pathways in ALS

## TL;DR

This paper maps the research on how cell death pathways are linked to ALS, identifying key genes and mechanisms for potential treatment targets.

## Contribution

The study integrates bibliometric trends with bioinformatics to reveal convergent mechanisms in ALS-related cell death pathways.

## Key findings

- Publications on ALS and cell death have increased significantly since 2015 with growing global collaboration.
- Key hub genes like TP53 and AKT1 are central to RCD pathways in ALS, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.
- Ferroptosis, inflammation, and autophagy are interconnected in ALS, pointing to immunometabolic convergence.

## Abstract

To map the research landscape linking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with regulated cell death (RCD) and to integrate bibliometric trends with bioinformatics evidence to identify convergent mechanisms and actionable targets.

Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for 2005–2024 (English; Article/Review). After merging and de-duplication, 6,272 records were analyzed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and bibliometrix to evaluate publication trends, collaboration, co-citation structure, and keyword evolution. In parallel, ALS-related genes were intersected with apoptosis-, ferroptosis-, and pyroptosis-associated gene sets. Shared targets were used to construct PPI networks, identify core modules and hub genes, and perform GO/KEGG enrichment analyses.

Publications and citations increased steadily with a clear rise after 2015. The field is anchored by the USA and shows rapidly growing contributions from Asia and Europe. Keyword evolution indicates a shift from “oxidative stress/apoptosis” toward multi-pathway RCD, with prominent recent bursts in ferroptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy/mitophagy, alongside persistent themes in motor-neuron degeneration, mitochondria, and neuro-inflammation. Bio-informatics results showed substantial genetic overlap between ALS and RCD modalities. Hub-gene analysis highlighted TP53, AKT1, STAT3, MYC, RELA, EP300, CREBBP, JUN, HSP90AA1, and MAPK3 as central nodes. Enrichment analyses implicated FoxO, HIF-1, and lipid-related pathways, and GO terms related to chemical/oxidative stress responses and autophagy regulation.

ALS–cell death research is consolidating around interconnected RCD programs. Integrated bibliometric and bioinformatics evidence supports an immunometabolic convergence involving ferroptosis–inflammation–autophagy signaling, providing a focused set of candidate pathways and hub targets for mechanistic validation and translation.