Digital Technology in Cognitive Decline: Bibliometric and Visualization Study

Abstract: With an increasing prevalence of cognitive decline diseases around the world, digital technologies are becoming an important tool for their prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. In this study, we present a comprehensive bibliometric study on the application of these digital technologies in the field of cognitive decline. This study intends to examine the trends of development and research hotspots of digital technology in cognitive decline field by bibliometric analysis. The literature has been analyzed in a systematic way. Bibliometrix R-package and VOSviewer were used to investigate publication tendency, country contribution, scholar influence, and research hotspots. A total of 1661 articles from 2006 to 2023 were analyzed. Results show an exponential increase in the number of annual publications on digital technologies applications and cognitive decline. The top journals, by volume of publication, are Alzheimer's & Dementia, the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, and Neurology. The US is the dominant contributor of literature to this field, and the key countries for author impact include Greece, the USA, and Italy. Current research hotspots include virtual reality, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, based on analysis of keywords. This study characterizes the overall research progress and reveals research hotspots, trends, and the collaboration status among countries, on the utilization of digital technologies for cognitive decline. Moving forward, we call on researchers to increase developed/developing countries collaboration, to further implement digital technologies to counteract the public health burden of cognitive decline.