Objective To visualize the research status, hotspots, and trends of vascular parkinsonism (VP) using CiteSpace for visual analysis, thereby providing a reference for future studies.

Methods Relevant publications on VP from database inception to April 2025 were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, and the Web of Science Core Collection. Author, institutional, and keyword analyses were performed using CiteSpace 6.4.R1.

Results A total of 549 publications were included (419 in Chinese and 130 in English). The annual publication volume showed a stepwise growth pattern with notable fluctuations. The most prolific author in Chinese-language publications was Zhang Xiumin (10 papers), while the most prolific authors in English-language publications were Regina Katzenschlager, Andrew J. Lees, and Sonia Benítez-Rivero (4 papers each). The institution with the highest output in Chinese-language publications was Tangshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (11 papers), whereas the University of Catania led in English-language publications (6 papers). High-frequency keywords in Chinese-language publications included Parkinson's disease, clinical efficacy, Madopar, and clinical features, forming 10 clusters. High-frequency keywords in English-language publications included Parkinson's disease, white matter lesions, basal ganglia, and cognitive impairment, also forming 10 clusters. Burst analysis indicated that cognitive impairment, inflammatory response, atypical parkinsonism, and white matter hyperintensities represent current and sustained research frontiers.

Conclusion Research on VP demonstrates an overall upward trend, although collaboration among research teams remains relatively fragmented. Current research hotspots are primarily concentrated on cerebrovascular pathological mechanisms, imaging-based differential diagnosis, clinical interventions, and non-motor symptoms. Cognitive impairment, inflammatory response, and white matter hyperintensities are likely to emerge as important research directions in the future.

1. MehannaR, JankovicJ. Movement disorders in cerebrovascular disease[J]. The Lancet. Neurology, 2013, 12(6): 597-608. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70057-7.

2. SinaniO, DadouliK, NtellasP, et al. Association between white matter lesions and Parkinson's disease: an impact on postural/gait difficulty phenotype and cognitive performance[J]. Neurol Res, 2022, 44(12): 1122-1131. DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2022.2112378.

3. ZijlmansJCM, DanielSE, HughesA J, et al. Clinicopathological investigation of vascular parkinsonism, including clinical criteria for diagnosis[J]. Mov Disord, 2004, 19(6): 630-640. DOI: 10.1002/mds.20083.

4. MaKKY, LinS, MokVCT. Neuroimaging in Vascular Parkinsonism[J]. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep, 2019, 19(12): 102. DOI: 10.1007/s11910-019-1019-7.

5. MarkscheffelB, SchröterF. Comparison of two science mapping tools based on software technical evaluation and bibliometric case studies[J]. CJSIM, 2021, 15(2): 365-396. DOI: 10.1080/09737766.2021.1960220.

6. KorczynAD. Vascular parkinsonism—characteristics, pathogenesis and treatment[J]. Nat Rev Neurol, 2015, 11(6): 319-326. DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2015.61.

7. SalsoneM, CaligiuriME, VescioV, et al. Microstructural changes of normal-appearing white matter in vascular parkinsonism[J]. Parkinsonism Relat Disord, 2019, 63: 60-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2019.02.046.

8. RaccagniC, NonnekesJ, BloemBR, et al. Gait and postural disorders in parkinsonism: a clinical approach[J]. J Neurol, 2020, 267(11): 3169-3176. DOI: 10.1007/s00415-019-09382-1.

9. ShinHW, HongSW, YounYC. Clinical aspects of the differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism[J]. J Clin Neurol, 2022, 18(3): 259-270. DOI: 10.3988/jcn.2022.18.3.259.

10. BoothTC, NathanM, WaldmanAD, et al. The role of functional dopamine-transporter SPECT imaging in parkinsonian syndromes, part 2[J]. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 2015, 36(2): 236-244. DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A3971.

11. ZijlmansJ, EvansA, FontesF, et al. [123I] FP-CIT spect study in vascular parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease[J]. Mov Disord, 2007, 22(9): 1278-1285. DOI: 10.1002/mds.21479.

12. ContrafattoD, MostileG, NicolettiA, et al. [(123) I]FP-CIT-SPECT asymmetry index to differentiate Parkinson's disease from vascular parkinsonism[J]. Acta Neurol Scand, 2012, 126(1): 12-16. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2011.01583.x

13. 王毅. 血管性帕金森综合征中西医结合诊治专家共识2022[J]. 中国卒中杂志, 2022, 17(4): 334-340.WangY. Integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine diagnosis and treatment of vascular parkinson's syndrome expert consensus 2022[J]. China J Stroke , 2022, 17(4): 334-340. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5765.2022.04.002.

14. 王欣彤, 朱清, 梁森, 等. 脑络通浸膏治疗血管性帕金森综合征轻度认知障碍的回顾性研究[J]. 南京中医药大学学报, 2023, 39(1): 16-20.WangXD, ZhuQ, LiangS, et al.Retrospective study on the treatment of vascular parkinsonism with mild cognitive impairment in combination with Naolutoong paste[J]Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2023, 39(1): 16-20. DOI: 10.14148/j.issn.1672-0482.2023.0016.

15. 王垚. 苁山滋肾方治疗血管性帕金森综合征的中医证候及量表评价临床研究[D]. 北京: 北京中医药大学, 2019.WangY. A clinical study on the treatment of vascular Parkinson's syndrome with the Congshan Zishen formula: evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes and scales[D]. Beijing: Beijing University of Chinese Medicine,2019. DOI: 10.26973/d.cnki.gbjzu.2019.000155.

16. 王美琳. “化瘀通络,息风止颤”针刺法治疗血管性帕金森综合征临床观察[D].黑龙江: 黑龙江中医药大学, 2021.WangML.Clinic observation on the treatment of vascular Parkinson's syndrome with acupuncture method of removing blood stasis to free the collateral vessels and quenching wind and alleviating chatter amplitude[D]. Heilongjiang: Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 2021. DOI: 10.27127/d.cnki.ghlzu.2020.000273.

17. 刘丽, 郑婵娟, 张伟, 等. 耳穴揿针联合重复经颅磁刺激治疗血管性帕金森综合征临床观察[J]. 上海针灸杂志, 2025, 44(3): 322-325.LiuL, ZhengCJ, ZhangW, et al. Clinical observation of thumbtack needling plus repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for vascular parkinsonism[J]. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2025, 44(3): 322-325. DOI: 10.13460/j.issn.1005-0957.2025.03.0322.

18. 马惠姿, 张晓颖, 张宁. 血管源性帕金森综合征抑郁、焦虑与其他症状的关系研究[J]. 中国卒中杂志, 2018, 13(7): 676-680.MaHZ, ZhangXY, ZhangN. Correlation between depression, anxiety and other symptoms in vascular parkinsonism patients[J]. Chinese Journal of Stroke, 2018, 13(7): 676-680. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5765.2018.07.008.

19. HolmH, GundersenV, DietrichsE. Vascular parkinsonism[J]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 2023, 143(7). DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.22.0539

20. GeorgeP, RoushdyT, FathyM, et al. The clinical and neuroimaging differences between vascular parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease: a case-control study[J]. BMC Neurol, 2024, 24(1): 56. DOI: 10.1186/s12883-024-03556-9.

21. GlassPG, LeesAJ, BacellarA, et al. The clinical features of pathologically confirmed vascular parkinsonism[J]. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 2012, 83(10): 1027-1029. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2012-302828.

22. CheMohd Nassir CMN, DamodaranT, YusofSR, et al. Aberrant neurogliovascular unit dynamics in cerebral small vessel disease: a rheological clue to vascular parkinsonism[J]. Pharmaceutics, 2021, 13(8): 1207. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13081207.

23. JacobMA, CaiM, BergkampM, et al. Cerebral small vessel disease progression increases risk of incident parkinsonism[J]. Ann Neurol, 2023, 93(6): 1130-1141. DOI: 10.1002/ana.26615.

24. SunBL, WangLH, YangT, et al. Lymphatic drainage system of the brain: a novel target for intervention of neurological diseases[J]. Prog Neurobiol, 2018, 163-164: 118-143. DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.08.007.

25. MortensenKN, SanggaardS, MestreH, et al. Impaired glymphatic transport in spontaneously hypertensive rats[J]. J Neurosci, 2019, 39(32): 6365-6377. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1974-18.2019.

26. HandleyA, MedcalfP, HellierK, et al. Movement disorders after stroke[J]. Age Ageing, 2009, 38(3): 260-266. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afp020.

27. EcK, J G, RbM. The "neuro-glial-vascular" unit: the role of glia in neurovascular unit formation and dysfunction[J]. Front Cell Dev Biol, 2021, 9. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.732820.

28. ZhangL, YanJ, XuY, et al. The combination of homocysteine and C-reactive protein predicts the outcomes of Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease and vascular parkinsonism[J]. PloS one, 2011, 6(4): e19333. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019333.