Exosome research and neuroimaging techniques: Visualization analysis of development trends and research hotspots

Abstract

In recent years, neuroimaging and exosome research have become increasingly integrated, providing new perspectives for elucidating the mechanisms of central nervous system diseases, developing non-invasive diagnostic tools, and advancing targeted therapeutic strategies. However, research in this field remains fragmented, and a systematic overview of the overall knowledge structure and cutting-edge hotspots is lacking. A total of 594 English-language articles from the Web of Science Core Collection were selected for bibliometric analysis performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software, to elucidate the current application status, development trends, and core hotspots of neuroimaging technology in exosome research. The overall publication volume in this field shows an increasing trend over time. China ranks first in the number of publications (209 articles), while the United States has the highest citation count (9623 citations) and serves as a core country in the international collaboration network. The University of California is the institution with the most publications (29 articles). High-frequency keywords include “extracellular vesicles,” “exosomes,” “brain,” and “Alzheimer’s disease,” with neuroimaging primarily serving as an assessment and validation tool. The knowledge foundation focuses on mechanisms of exosome traversal across the blood–brain barrier, in vivo imaging validation (e.g., tracking using gold nanoparticle labeling), and complementary validation of exosome biomarkers with imaging (e.g., consistency between peripheral blood exosomal proteins and amyloid positron emission tomography imaging). The field has evolved from exploring drug carriers and standardizing biomarkers toward understanding mechanisms and engineering applications. High-impact application hotspots in neuroimaging include magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography tracing targeting the blood–brain barrier, multimodal dynamic monitoring with positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, early diagnosis that combines imaging technology with exosomal biomarkers (e.g., microRNA), high-resolution detection of single exosomes (e.g., imaging flow cytometry), novel imaging probes (e.g., molecular beacons and photoacoustic probes), and deep learning-assisted automatic analysis of exosomal morphology. These findings confirm that neuroimaging is gradually being recognized as an important in vivo visualization validation tool in exosome research. Current research hotspots are highly focused on targeted imaging of exosome traversal across the blood–brain barrier, multimodal molecular imaging tracing, combined diagnosis based on exosomal biomarkers and neuroimaging, highresolution imaging at the single-vesicle level, and deep learning–assisted morphological characterization of exosomes. These findings provide crucial in vivo imaging evidence for exosome-based neural repair strategies. This evidence, in turn, can accelerate the clinical translation of exosomes in neuroregenerative medicine research.