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Background <p>Childhood learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders have been increasingly linked to early-life environmental chemical exposures, including air pollutants, heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and pesticides. Despite growing academic interest, a comprehensive analysis of global research trends and emerging themes in this interdisciplinary field remains lacking.</p> Methods <p>A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database to identify studies published between January 2005 and December 2025. Articles and reviews written in English focusing on environmental exposure and childhood learning disabilities were included. CiteSpace software was employed to analyze annual publication trends, country and institutional contributions, co-authorship networks, co-cited references, and keyword clustering and evolution. In addition, we applied Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to abstracts/keywords to uncover latent thematic structures and quantify topic prevalence across the corpus.</p> Results <p>A total of 1056 publications were included. Global research output increased steadily, with a notable surge after 2017. The United States led in publication volume and international collaboration, followed by China, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Influential institutions included Harvard University, Columbia University, and ISGlobal. Key authors such as Jordi Sunyer, David Bellinger, and Brenda Eskenazi were identified as central contributors. Frequently co-cited journals included Environmental Health Perspectives and Environmental Research. Major research clusters focused on air pollution, endocrine disruptors, oxidative stress, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Timeline and burst analyses revealed a shift from traditional toxicants (e.g., lead, mercury) to complex outcomes such as academic performance and mental health, with growing attention to mechanisms like epigenetics and environmental justice. LDA topic modeling revealed 15 themes spanning exposure settings (indoor/residential/air pollution), neurodevelopmental outcomes (autism/ADHD/cognition), and key neurotoxicants (pesticides/PCB, arsenic, methylmercury), suggesting an evolving focus toward functional outcomes and mechanisms.</p> Conclusions <p>This study highlights the evolving landscape of research linking environmental exposures to childhood cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The field is expanding from exposure identification to mechanistic understanding and real-world functional implications. Greater interdisciplinary collaboration and equity-focused research are needed to inform policy and protect child brain health globally.</p>

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Global trends in research on environmental chemical exposure and childhood learning disabilities: insights from a two-decade bibliometric and Latent Dirichlet Allocation analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月20日

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  • Qi Liu,
  • Xinchen Shu,
  • Jiaxin Cao,
  • Yixin Wang,
  • Yuxin Liu,
  • Feng Jiang,
  • Jin Shu

摘要

Background

Childhood learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders have been increasingly linked to early-life environmental chemical exposures, including air pollutants, heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and pesticides. Despite growing academic interest, a comprehensive analysis of global research trends and emerging themes in this interdisciplinary field remains lacking.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database to identify studies published between January 2005 and December 2025. Articles and reviews written in English focusing on environmental exposure and childhood learning disabilities were included. CiteSpace software was employed to analyze annual publication trends, country and institutional contributions, co-authorship networks, co-cited references, and keyword clustering and evolution. In addition, we applied Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to abstracts/keywords to uncover latent thematic structures and quantify topic prevalence across the corpus.

Results

A total of 1056 publications were included. Global research output increased steadily, with a notable surge after 2017. The United States led in publication volume and international collaboration, followed by China, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Influential institutions included Harvard University, Columbia University, and ISGlobal. Key authors such as Jordi Sunyer, David Bellinger, and Brenda Eskenazi were identified as central contributors. Frequently co-cited journals included Environmental Health Perspectives and Environmental Research. Major research clusters focused on air pollution, endocrine disruptors, oxidative stress, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Timeline and burst analyses revealed a shift from traditional toxicants (e.g., lead, mercury) to complex outcomes such as academic performance and mental health, with growing attention to mechanisms like epigenetics and environmental justice. LDA topic modeling revealed 15 themes spanning exposure settings (indoor/residential/air pollution), neurodevelopmental outcomes (autism/ADHD/cognition), and key neurotoxicants (pesticides/PCB, arsenic, methylmercury), suggesting an evolving focus toward functional outcomes and mechanisms.

Conclusions

This study highlights the evolving landscape of research linking environmental exposures to childhood cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The field is expanding from exposure identification to mechanistic understanding and real-world functional implications. Greater interdisciplinary collaboration and equity-focused research are needed to inform policy and protect child brain health globally.