Neuroimaging Research in Alzheimer’s Disease Across Africa: A Systematic Bibliometric Review (1983–2024)

Neuroimaging has become an indispensable tool in the early diagnosis and progression monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease, driven by advances in multimodal imaging and artificial intelligence. However, its application remains limited in low-resource settings, particularly across the African continent. This study provides the most temporally extensive (1983–2023) and methodologically integrated review of AD-focused neuroimaging research in Africa to date. Building on earlier dementia-related bibliometric efforts, it uniquely combines a PRISMA-guided systematic review with bibliometric mapping and trend analysis to assess imaging modality evolution and collaborative patterns across the continent. A total of 223 Scopus-indexed articles selected from an initial pool of 696 documents were analyzed using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny to identify publication trends, author productivity, institutional contributions, keywords clusters, and collaboration networks. The research trajectory shows a clear evolution in three distinct phase: (i) foundational phase (1997–2009), characterized by reliance on computed tomography (CT) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); (ii) methodological expansion (2010–2018), marked by the employment of more sophisticated imaging modalities such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and positron emission tomography (PET); and (iii) technological surge (2019–2024) reflected by the adoption of advanced computational tools, including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms for image processing and predictive modeling. In Africa, Egypt emerged as regional leader, with a robust international collaboration sustained over the years especially with European institutions. Followed by South Africa and Tunisia with commendable efforts amongst others. Despite this progress, the study highlights persistent disparities in research output, access to advanced imaging infrastructure and inclusion in global neuroimaging networks. These findings present the need for more inclusive funding mechanisms, regional imaging hubs, capacity building, ethical data-sharing practices, and policies to strengthen Africa’s contribution to global AD neuroimaging research (Fig. 1).