Global Research Trends and Hotspots in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease-Related Cognitive Impairment: A Bibliometric...

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a significant contributor to cognitive impairment (CI). Research on CSVD-CI has gained prominence; however, comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the global research landscape in this area is currently lacking. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a thorough bibliometric analysis to identify research hotspots and emerging trends.

We retrieved relevant literature published from 2001 to 2024 from the web of science (WoS) core collection. using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, R, and Origin 2022, we performed bibliometric and network visualization analyses to examine publication trends, geographical distribution, institutional collaborations, journal metrics, citation patterns, author contributions, co-citation networks, and keyword co-occurrence.

Three distinct phases were identified: foundational (2001-2010), developmental (2011-2018), and accelerated (2019-2024). The United States exhibited the highest citation impact, whereas China reported the highest number of publications. The journals "neurology" and "stroke" emerged as the leading publications. Four major research clusters were revealed: pathophysiological mechanisms (neuroinflammation and oxidative stress), neuroimaging biomarkers (white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and cerebral micro bleeds), clinical manifestations and cognitive assessment, and therapeutic interventions. Emerging trends included blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, neurovascular coupling, and innovative therapies.

This bibliometric study sheds light on the research hotspots and trends in CSVD-CI over the past two decades, assisting researchers in identifying key focus areas and exploring advancements in this domain.