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The brain is composed of various neurons that play crucial roles in physiological activities by forming neural circuits through complex connections. Despite the evolving research in anesthesia and brain science, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis revealing the current status and trends in the intersection of these fields is yet to be conducted. Our study aims to visualize the literature related to anesthesia and neural circuits using bibliometric analysis, thereby providing a reference and overview for researchers new to this area. We found that research on anesthesia and neural circuits has become a focal point, particularly in China and the United States. A keyword co-polymerization analysis indicated current research interests center around anesthesia, consciousness, propofol, isoflurane, ketamine, and the brain. Key neural circuits associated with anesthesia, including those related to sleep, loss of consciousness, and memory, were highlighted. These insights could guide future research and offer a foundation for newcomers to the field. Furthermore, our review of general anesthesia and neural circuit profiles summarized the neural circuits involved in commonly used anesthetics such as propofol, sevoflurane, isoflurane, dexmedetomidine, highlighting pathways like the cortical-cortical, thalamic-cortical, and basal forebrain-locus coeruleus. In conclusion, we identified a significant gap in research concerning the neural circuits related to the mechanisms of general anesthesia, an area that warrants further exploration.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.