Exploring research hotspots and emerging trends in neuroimaging of vascular cognitive impairment: a bibliometric and visualized analysis

BackgroundVascular cognitive impairment (VCI) manifests in memory impairment, mental slowness, executive dysfunction, behavioral changes, and visuospatial abnormalities, significantly compromising the quality of daily life for patients and causing inconvenience to caregivers. Neuroimaging serves as a crucial approach to evaluating the extent, location, and type of vascular lesions in patients suspected of VCI. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of comprehensive bibliometric analysis to discern the research status and emerging trends concerning VCI neuroimaging.ObjectiveThis study endeavors to explore the collaboration relationships of authors, countries, and institutions, as well as the research hotspots and frontiers of VCI neuroimaging by conducting a bibliometric analysis.MethodsWe performed a comprehensive retrieval within the Core Collection of Web of Science, spanning from 2000 to 2023. After screening the included literature, CiteSpace and VOSviewer were utilized for a visualized analysis aimed at identifying the most prolific author, institution, and journal, as well as extracting valuable information from the analysis of references.ResultsA total of 1,024 publications were included in this study, comprising 919 articles and 105 reviews. Through the analysis of keywords and references, the research hotspots involve the relationship between neuroimaging of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and VCI, the diagnosis of VCI, and neuroimaging methods pertinent to VCI. Moreover, potential future research directions encompass CSVD, functional and structural connectivity, neuroimaging biomarkers, and lacunar stroke.ConclusionThe research in VCI neuroimaging is constantly developing, and we hope to provide insights and references for future studies by delving into the research hotspots and frontiers within this field.