As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Gadolinium is currently at 100% of its own all-time peak research intensity, a record high reached within this ten-year window.
Research intensity ran from about 74% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 100% in 2026 — a net rise with setbacks along the way, and the all-time peak (2026) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, gadolinium has a mid-sized research literature.
The number of papers involving the element rose from about 8,500 in 2016 to about 14,993 in 2025 (1.76x). That is slower than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element lost ground in the wider body of research even as its own count rose.
The largest research community is Gadolinium Retention and Toxicity in Clinical Imaging, which accounts for about 29% of the element's recent research. This community focuses on gadolinium deposition and retention in patients, particularly regarding contrast media safety and endolymphatic hydrops. Gadolinium is one strand of a broader community, with about 29% of its papers involving the element. This community has seen a decline in share, dropping from about 46% in the earlier period to its current level. A key paper here is "Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis" (2021), cited over 1,200 times, which anchors the clinical discussion on contrast agent use.
The second major community is Gadolinium Enhancement for Myocardial Fibrosis and Scar Detection, holding about 27% of the element's recent research. Here, gadolinium serves as the contrast agent in cardiac MRI to visualize late enhancement, distinguishing myocardial fibrosis and scar tissue in cardiomyopathy and infarction. Gadolinium is one strand of a broader community, with about 12% of its papers involving the element. This community has seen a significant rise in share, growing from about 13% to its current level. A prominent paper is "Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)" (2020), cited over 2,300 times, highlighting the element's role in cardiac imaging outcomes.
A smaller, steady community is Rare-Earth Recovery from Industrial Waste and Secondary Sources, comprising about 4% of the element's recent research. This area involves the environmental and industrial handling of gadolinium, including its recovery from waste streams. A relevant paper is "Environmental Sustainability and MRI : Challenges, Opportunities, and a Call for Action" (2023), cited over 110 times, which addresses the sustainability challenges associated with gadolinium-based agents.
Overall, the composition of gadolinium research has shifted: the community focused on retention and toxicity has lost share, while the community focused on myocardial fibrosis and scar detection has gained share. The remaining research, comprising about 41% of the element's recent work, is distributed across other smaller communities that have remained steady.
For a deeper look at the current state of gadolinium research, see the element's Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.
What changed in the past year: new papers, shifting applications, emerging collaborators. See the momentum over a shorter window than the decade view.
Personal →See recent trends — Personal.
A by-topic status read of what changed and what's new — built for decision-makers, not search engines. Citation clusters, emerging applications, and the papers that matter most.
Professional →See the executive read — Professional.
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Showing Gadolinium's three strongest connections. Personal opens the slider and the whole 118-element graph.