Oligodendrocyte (OL) lineage biology is increasingly recognized as a contributor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology, but its global knowledge structure and emerging frontiers remain unclear.
Objective
To map the development, major contributors, intellectual bases, and research frontiers of OL-related AD research using bibliometric and visualization approaches.
Methods
English-language articles and reviews published from 1990 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on January 2, 2026. After deduplication, 1746 records were analyzed. VOSviewer 1.6.20 assessed publication output, contributors, collaborations, and citation networks. CiteSpace 6.1.6 performed keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst detection.
Results
Annual publications increased from 5 in 1990 to 149 in 2025, peaking at 154 in 2024, with acceleration after 2020. The United States led in productivity and impact (684 publications; 54,075 citations). Harvard University was the most productive institution (46 publications), whereas the University of California, Los Angeles had the highest average citation impact among leading institutions (147.20 citations per publication). Acta Neuropathologica was the most productive journal (66 publications; 6548 citations). Mathys et al. was the most influential cornerstone reference. Keyword clustering was robust (Q = 0.701, S = 0.958), identifying “white matter” as the central thematic cluster.
Conclusions
OL-related AD research is expanding rapidly and shifting toward white matter-centered, cell state-resolved, and multi-omics paradigms. Future priorities include defining OL and oligodendrocyte precursor cell transcriptional states, clarifying myelin vulnerability and repair mechanisms, and linking OL pathology to amyloid-related processes.
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