ArticleNature and science of sleep2026
From Cradle to Early-Life Sleep: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Neonatal Sleep.
Article in Nature and science of sleep, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Sleep plays a critical role in neonatal brain maturation and behavioral regulation, and early-life sleep disturbances have been widely studied in relation to neurodevelopmental vulnerability, particularly among preterm and critically ill infants. Although research on neonatal and early developmental sleep has demonstrated steady growth over the past two decades, the global structure of this literature, its evolving research frontiers, and patterns of scholarly collaboration have not been systematically mapped. Methods: Relevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science(WOS) Core Collection (2000-2025). Using multiple complementary bibliometric tools, including CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package, we analyzed publication trends, contributing countries and institutions, authorship and co-citation networks, journal distribution, keyword co-occurrence, and emerging thematic clusters. Results: A total of 530 articles were identified, involving 55 countries and regions, 438 institutions, and 636 authors. The United States contributed 30.75% of all publications and demonstrated the highest citation impact. Véronique Bach was the most productive author, whereas Mark S. Scher was the most frequently co-cited, reflecting sustained methodological influence. Monash University emerged as the leading institution, and Conclusion: Neonatal sleep research has evolved from predominantly descriptive studies toward increasingly multidisciplinary and methodologically sophisticated investigations. Bibliometric mapping highlights growing emphasis on advanced analytical approaches, integrative physiological framing, and outcome-oriented perspectives, reflecting shifts in research focus rather than direct mechanistic validation. This structured overview delineates dominant themes, emerging frontiers, and persistent knowledge gaps, and may inform the future development of neonatal sleep research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.