Synaptic plasticity in affective comorbidities of neuropathic pain: a bibliometric analysis based on WoSCC and PubMed (2003–2025)

Objective Neuropathic pain (NP) is frequently accompanied by anxiety and depression, creating a vicious cycle that impairs quality of life. Synaptic plasticity—particularly long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD)—is increasingly recognized as a shared neural substrate linking NP to affective comorbidities. This bibliometric analysis maps the research landscape at this intersection. Methods Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2025) and PubMed (2003 to 2025). After deduplication and eligibility screening, a total of 487 unique publications were identified. Citation metrics and visualization analyses were performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix. Results Publication output has grown steadily since 2003, peaking in 2025 (43 studies). China leads in publication count (180), while the United States holds the highest citation impact (9,723 citations; 64.82 per study). Air Force Medical University and the Xi’an Jiaotong University are core institutions. PAIN (24 studies) and Journal of Neuroscience (22 studies) are the leading journals. Keyword and co-citation analyses indicate that research themes have undergone a phased transition from spinal cord mechanisms to limbic circuits, and then to the comorbidity mechanisms of pain and affective comorbidities, with a gradual shift toward clinical translation. Conclusion This bibliometric analysis maps a field advancing from single-region synaptic mechanisms toward multi-region circuit integration, with growing contributions from immunology. Persistent gaps in sex-difference characterization and longitudinal study design mark priorities for future investigation. As a descriptive exercise bounded by two databases, these findings should be weighed accordingly.