AUTHOR=Wang Qi , Lin Qingchen , Ding Yasuo , Wu Yuqin 
  
TITLE=Traditional Chinese medicine interventions for post-stroke cognitive impairment: an evidence mapping
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology
  
VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1818770
  
DOI=10.3389/fneur.2026.1818770
  
ISSN=1664-2295
  
ABSTRACT=BackgroundPost-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a major rehabilitation concern. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows promise, yet a comprehensive, evidence-based evaluation of existing systematic reviews is lacking.ObjectiveThis study aimed to map and evaluate the evidence on TCM interventions for PSCI, identifying strengths and gaps to inform clinical and research guidance.MethodsWe searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase (via Ovid), and Web of Science, as well as Chinese databases including CNKI, Wanfang Database, the Chinese Medicine Database, and VIP Database (from their inception to December 2024) for systematic reviews or meta-analyses of TCM for PSCI. Two reviewers assessed methodological quality using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2). The results were synthesized using the population-intervention-comparison-outcome (PICO) framework and visualized as bubble plots in R software.ResultsA total of 36 systematic reviews (all from China) were included, covering acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, auricular stimulation, and TCM exercises. AMSTAR 2 rated 33 as “critically low” and 3 as “low.” TCM demonstrated multidimensional benefits: cognitive function (36/36 beneficial), activities of daily living (26/27 beneficial), neurological function (5/5 beneficial), and overall effect (33 beneficial, 1 probably beneficial).ConclusionTCM interventions may offer multidimensional benefits for PSCI, but the evidence is severely limited by critically low methodological quality. These findings should be considered hypothesis-generating. High-quality, prospectively registered systematic reviews and rigorous primary studies are urgently needed.Systematic review registrationCRD420251178410 (PROSPERO).