AUTHOR=Wang Zhongli , Xue Xiaojia , Zhang Hua , Liu Jipeng , Dai Shoujie , Duan Haiping , Li Shixue 

TITLE=Vaccine research in cognitive impairment and dementia: a bibliometric analysis and future outlook (2000–2025)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1662314

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2025.1662314

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=BackgroundVaccine research has shifted from a purely anti-infective tool to a promising therapeutic and preventive strategy against cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia. Yet the knowledge domain linking vaccine to neurodegeneration has never been systematically mapped.MethodsWe retrieved English-language articles and reviews on vaccine and CI/dementia in Web of Science and PubMed (2000–2025). After rigorous screening, 1,395 publications were analyzed with Excel, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica and Charticulator to chart output trajectories, collaborative networks, influential journals, high-impact papers, keyword evolution and co-citation clusters.ResultsAnnual publications rose nearly 10-fold, peaking at >90 papers in 2022. The United States dominated output and collaboration, flanked by an increasingly interconnected European core and a fast growing Asia-Pacific node. Four institutional clusters were identified, with the UC system, NYU and Harvard leading. Author co-authorship revealed a dense hub around Cribbs, Agadjanyan and Ghochikyan, while recent entrants from China and Europe diversified the landscape. Keyword, timeline and burst analyses showed a thematic shift from β-amyloid vaccine studies (2000–2008) to passive immunotherapy and biomarker-guided translation (2009–2016), and, most recently (2017–2024), to multivalent vaccine engineering, immunosenescence. Co-citation clusters tracked the field’s progression from plaque-centred paradigms to oligomer-targeted, multi-pathway approaches and highlighted emerging interest in innate immunity and infection-mediated neuroinflammation.ConclusionVaccine research in CI/dementia has matured into a multidisciplinary, prevention-oriented enterprise. Future priorities include (i) multi-epitope or mRNA-based vaccines that address amyloid, tau and inflammatory cascades; (ii) strategies to overcome immunosenescence for earlier, prophylactic immunization; (iii) mechanistic and interventional studies to validate the neuroprotective signals seen with routine adult vaccines. These directions will be pivotal for translating immunological insights into effective, population-level protection against dementia.