Focused Ultrasound for Movement Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis Revealing a Critical Research Gap in Mexico
- 1Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
- 2Instituto de Neurologia y Neurocirugia, Centro Medico Zambrano Hellion, TecSalud, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Abstract
Background:: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is an established incisionless treatment for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. The geographic distribution of research activity and Latin American participation remain incompletely characterized.
Methods:: We analyzed focused ultrasound publications in movement disorders indexed in Web of Science and Scopus from inception through September 22, 2026. Records were screened against prespecified eligibility criteria and analyzed with bibliometrix in R. We assessed publication trends, countries, authors, collaboration networks, and keywords. Country participation was examined by corresponding-author country and all-author affiliations. SciELO was searched separately to identify regional literature missed by the primary databases.
Results:: The final corpus included 1,907 documents from 546 sources and 5,503 authors. Annual publication growth was 8.56%, with output increasing from 55 publications in 2016 to 258 in 2024. Among 1,596 records with an assignable corresponding-author country, the United States accounted for 536 (33.6%), followed by China and Canada. No Latin American country ranked among the ten most productive. Forty-five publications included at least one Latin American affiliation, including 9 with a Mexican affiliation. None reported clinical outcomes from patients treated with focused ultrasound for a movement disorder in Mexico. SciELO identified one additional regional record but no Mexican clinical series.
Discussion:: Focused ultrasound research in movement disorders has expanded substantially but remains geographically concentrated. Latin American participation is emerging, but Mexico has yet to contribute published clinical outcome data. Prospective registries and multicenter regional collaborations could strengthen locally relevant evidence.
Highlights: Global scientific production on focused ultrasound for movement disorders has grown steadily over the past decade, with a marked acceleration after the 2016 FDA approval for essential tremor, and remains concentrated in a small number of high-income countries. Clinical output has begun to appear in Latin America, with series reported from Chile and Argentina, but Mexico has adopted the technology without contributing clinical outcome data. Treatment decisions at the single Mexican center currently offering the procedure therefore rest on evidence generated in other populations.
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- Gender Disparity in Movement Disorders Research Authorship: Progress and Persistent Gaps Across a Decade
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BibTeX
@article{martinez2026focused,
title = {{Focused Ultrasound for Movement Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis Revealing a Critical Research Gap in Mexico}},
author = {Hector R. Martinez and Francisco A. Luna-Rangel and O. Gutierrez-Treviño and Cecilio Armengol-Garcia and Juan Pablo Santos-Martinez and Brenda Gonzalez-Bedolla and Jose A. Figueroa-Sanchez},
journal = {Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5334/tohm.1255},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722014},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Focused Ultrasound for Movement Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis Revealing a Critical Research Gap in Mexico
AU - Hector R. Martinez
AU - Francisco A. Luna-Rangel
AU - O. Gutierrez-Treviño
AU - Cecilio Armengol-Garcia
AU - Juan Pablo Santos-Martinez
AU - Brenda Gonzalez-Bedolla
AU - Jose A. Figueroa-Sanchez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.)
DO - 10.5334/tohm.1255
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722014
AB - Background:: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is an established incisionless treatment for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. The geographic distribution of research activity and Latin American participation remain incompletely characterized. Methods:: We analyzed focused ultrasound publications in movement disorders indexed in Web of Science and Scopus from inception through September 22, 2026. Records were screened against prespecified eligibility criteria and analyzed with bibliometrix in R. We assessed publication trends, countries, authors, collaboration networks, and keywords. Country participation was examined by corresponding-author country and all-author affiliations. SciELO was searched separately to identify regional literature missed by the primary databases. Results:: The final corpus included 1,907 documents from 546 sources and 5,503 authors. Annual publication growth was 8.56%, with output increasing from 55 publications in 2016 to 258 in 2024. Among 1,596 records with an assignable corresponding-author country, the United States accounted for 536 (33.6%), followed by China and Canada. No Latin American country ranked among the ten most productive. Forty-five publications included at least one Latin American affiliation, including 9 with a Mexican affiliation. None reported clinical outcomes from patients treated with focused ultrasound for a movement disorder in Mexico. SciELO identified one additional regional record but no Mexican clinical series. Discussion:: Focused ultrasound research in movement disorders has expanded substantially but remains geographically concentrated. Latin American participation is emerging, but Mexico has yet to contribute published clinical outcome data. Prospective registries and multicenter regional collaborations could strengthen locally relevant evidence. Highlights: Global scientific production on focused ultrasound for movement disorders has grown steadily over the past decade, with a marked acceleration after the 2016 FDA approval for essential tremor, and remains concentrated in a small number of high-income countries. Clinical output has begun to appear in Latin America, with series reported from Chile and Argentina, but Mexico has adopted the technology without contributing clinical outcome data. Treatment decisions at the single Mexican center currently offering the procedure therefore rest on evidence generated in other populations.
SN - 2160-8288
ER -