Objectives: Over the past decade, low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (LITUS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. This study aims to chart the current research landscape, uncover key trends and challenges, and offer a reference for future investigations.
Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we sourced data from 3 databases and included 454 literature. We conducted bibliometric analyses using R, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace to explore publication trends, journal/region contributions, keyword co-occurrence networks, research clusters, and emerging frontiers.
Results: The United States, China, and South Korea were the most influential countries in the field, while Brain Stimulation was the leading journal. Keyword analysis revealed 7 research clusters, and burst-detection highlighted frontiers such as safety, thalamic stimulation, and frequency. The literature review shows that LITUS is an emerging field with therapeutic promise, but faces challenges in areas like safety and ultrasound parameter standardization.
Conclusion: As the first comprehensive bibliometric and systematic review of LITUS in CNS disorders treatment, this work presents a global picture of publication trends, hotspots, and obstacles-providing valuable guidance for future research and clinical translation of LITUS.
Keywords: global development trends; neurological disorders; non-invasive brain stimulation; novel technologies; psychiatric disorders.
Central nervous system (CNS) disorders—such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic stroke—impose a significant burden on global health. Traditional treatments often have complications or inadequate effects, creating an urgent need for novel therapies. Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (LITUS), as an innovative non-invasive neuromodulation technique, can deliver low-energy ultrasound to penetrate the intact skull and precisely target specific brain regions. The unique advantages have made it a promising therapeutic solution for the treatment of CNS disorders. This study analyzed 454 publications (2011–2025) from databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Results from the bibliometric analysis show that research on LITUS has grown rapidly since 2017, with the United States and China taking the leading role. Key institutions include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, and Harvard University. Existing studies fall into seven main clusters, where safety, frequency., and more have become the key research focuses and hotspots at present. Further systematic analysis has shown that LITUS has demonstrated efficacy in a range of CNS disorders, including the reduction of amyloid-beta in Alzheimer’s disease, protection of dopamine neurons in Parkinson’s disease, alleviation of depression-like behaviors, and reduction of seizure frequency in epilepsy. It also supports functional recovery in patients with vascular dementia and ischemic stroke. In addition to research on the therapeutic efficacy of LITUS for CNS disorders, existing studies have also conducted comprehensive research on its safety and therapeutic mechanisms, yet many unresolved issues remain, including the lack of standardized ultrasound parameters, individual differences affecting efficacy, insufficient research on mechanisms in humans, limited large-sample clinical trials (especially for special populations), and underdeveloped standardized equipment. Hence, this study conducts an in-depth discussion on the current challenges of LITUS in the treatment of central nervous system disorders and corresponding countermeasures, aiming to provide theoretical references for subsequent relevant research and scholars in this field.
© The Author(s) 2026.