Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and insulin resistance (IR) share intersecting pathological pathways, with IR increasingly implicated in AD pathogenesis. Systematic bibliometric analyses mapping the evolution of this interdisciplinary field remain limited.
Objective: To quantify global research trends, collaboration networks, knowledge structures, and emerging frontiers in IR-AD research from 2005-2024.
Methods: We analyzed 2676 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection. Using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and bibliometrix R package, we conducted quantitative analyses and visualized multiple dimensions including annual publications/citations, countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords.
Results: Annual publications grew steadily, peaking at 267 in 2022. The United States dominated productivity (942 papers, 35.2%) and citations (88,170). The University of Kentucky was the top institution (53 papers), while the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease led in output (214 papers) and co-citations (8046). Keyword analysis revealed three clusters: metabolic dysregulation, molecular pathology, and neuroimmune responses. Emerging frontiers highlight neuroimmune mechanisms, with current hotspots focusing on NLRP3 inflammasome activation, gut-brain axis dysregulation, glucose transporter impairment, and therapeutic repurposing of GLP-1 agonists.
Conclusions: These findings underscore IR-AD as a critical intersection of metabolic and neurodegenerative pathways, advocating for targeted therapies addressing neuroinflammation and cerebral metabolism. By delineating global trends, this study provides a roadmap for future research to bridge translational gaps in AD pathogenesis and treatment.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; CiteSpace; VOSviewer; bibliometric; bibliometrix R; insulin resistance.
© The Author(s) 2025.