Transcranial magnetic stimulation in neurological rehabilitation: A bibliometric mapping of 34 years of literature

Aim: This study aims to analyze the global research landscape on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in neurological rehabilitation using bibliometric methods.It investigates publication trends, key authors and institutions, international collaboration patterns, and disease-specific research distribution to highlight current progress and research gaps.Material and Methods: A total of 2,245 English-language publications from 1991 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) using a specific search strategy targeting TMS, rehabilitation, and neurological disorders.Bibliometric and scientometric analyses were conducted using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer.Analyses included productivity trends, citation metrics, keyword co-occurrence, thematic clustering, and collaboration networks.Results: The number of TMS-related publications in neurorehabilitation showed a sharp increase after 2015, with an average annual growth rate of 13.8%.Stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis were the most studied conditions, whereas cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and ALS remained underrepresented.The most prolific countries were the United States, China, Italy, Canada, and the UK.Institutional and co-authorship networks were primarily centered in North America and Western Europe.Keyword mapping revealed prominent themes, including motor recovery, neuroplasticity, and functional improvement.Discussion: This is the first bibliometric study to offer a comprehensive overview of TMS in neurological rehabilitation across multiple disease groups.The findings reveal both significant growth in scientific activity and persistent underrepresentation of certain disorders like ALS and cerebral palsy.Future research should prioritize these gaps through multicenter, long-term studies to broaden the clinical application of TMS in neurorehabilitation