400 Section - fMRI for the Diagnosis of Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness: A perspective from bibliometric analysis

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

WC

Weiguan Chen, MD

Director of Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

XW

Xichen Wang, MS

PT
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
DZ

Di Zhu, BA

Postgraduate
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
JL

Jun Lu, BA

Postgraduate
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
SZ

Sanlian Zhou, BA

Head nurse
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
HL

Hongjian Lu, MD

President
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
FF

Fan Fu, PhD

Post-doctoral
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
CD

Chengwei Duan, PhD

Postgraduate
Nantong First People's Hospital affiliated to Southeast University
Nantong, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Objectives : To systematically analyze the research status, academic network characteristics, and hot topics in the application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for diagnosing prolonged disorders of consciousness (DOC) between 2009 and 2025, thereby providing a bibliometric reference for clinical research in this field.

Design: The Web of Science Core Collection was used as the data source to retrieve articles and reviews published in English-language journals. After screening by researchers, CiteSpace 6.3 software was utilized to perform visual analyses of countries/regions, journals, institutions, authors, keywords, and citations from the included literature.

Results: A total of 418 publications from 39 countries or regions were identified in the field of fMRI for prolonged DOC diagnosis. The United States contributed the highest number of publications (144), followed by China (99) and Belgium (73). Laureys Steven, Owen Adrian M, and Edlow Brian L were identified as the core scholars in this field. Co-citation analysis of journals revealed that NEUROIMAGE was the most frequently cited journal for diagnosis-related research. Keyword clustering analysis identified core clusters directly related to diagnosis, including the minimally conscious state, resting-state fMRI, and scales.

Conclusion: Research on fMRI for prolonged DOC diagnosis from 2009 to 2025 has formed an academic network centered around the United States, China, and Belgium. Key research hotspots include the development of resting-state fMRI diagnostic techniques, the identification of cognitive-motor dissociation and covert consciousness, and the screening of diagnostic biomarkers for MCS/VS subtyping. Future research should focus on multimodal approaches, such as parallel acquisition of fMRI-EEG-EMG, to establish closed-loop “consciousness-motor” biomarkers and conduct individualized intervention studies.