SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Exploring the molecular mechanisms by which exercise improves cognitive impairment in Parkinson' s disease based on the brain-gut microbiota axis: bibliometrics and visualization analysis
Wanhong Wang 1
Ma Ting 1
Zhengang Qiu 2
Xin Zhang 1
Wenyu Sun 2
1. Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jinan, China
2. Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Parkinson' s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, and its cognitive impairment, as an important non-motor symptom, seriously affects the quality of life of patients. In recent years, the brain-gut flora axis, as a key pathway connecting the central nervous system(CNS) and intestinal microecology, has gradually become the forefront of research on cognitive dysfunction in PD. In view of the large increase in related research in recent years, this study aims to use bibliometric methods to systematically review the global research status and trends of exercise treatment for cognitive dysfunction in PD patients, focusing on analyzing the relevant mechanisms of how exercise intervention interferes with Parkinson' s cognitive ability by affecting the intestinal microecology. To explore the synergistic effect of exercise and intestinal flora regulation and its potential therapeutic value. This review aims to provide a new perspective on the pathological mechanism of cognitive impairment in PD and provide scientific basis for the optimization of exercise intervention strategies. METHODS:Literature related to exercise and cognitive dysfunction in PD published between 1999-2024 was searched in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases based on the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software to analyze data on countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, citations, and to generate visual maps. RESULTS:Among 332 publications, annual output peaked in 2022. The USA led in publications (n=117). Key institutions included Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. Research hotspots centered on mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and aerobic exercise. Emerging trends include home-based interventions and basal ganglia mechanisms. CONCLUSION:This study aims to use bibliometric methods to systematically review the global research status and trends of exercise treatment for cognitive dysfunction in PD patients, focusing on analyzing how exercise intervention affects the intestinal microecology and its interaction with the central CNS, exploring the synergistic effect of exercise and intestinal flora regulation and its potential therapeutic value, and providing a new perspective and path for understanding the intervention of cognitive impairment in PD.
Summary
Keywords
Brain-gut microbiota axis, cognitive impairment, molecular mechanism, Movement, Neuroprotection, Parkinson' s disease, visual analysis
Received
20 November 2025
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Wang, Ting, Qiu, Zhang and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wenyu Sun
Disclaimer
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