Sensorial Physiology Unit, Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University of Chieti-Pescara 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2013;788:247-53. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-6627-3_35.
The understanding the functional expression of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has gradually expanded from the initial identification of breath pathological markers to direct expression of physiological activity. In the present study we investigated the potential application of breath analysis in real-time monitoring of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients versus control subjects while performing a cognitive task. T2DM is associated with cognitive impairment and neural deficits, because of insulin resistance and high expression of insulin receptors in the hippocampus. We set out to seek the evidence for mutual associations among breath exhale, on the one side, and T2DM and cognitive effort, on the other side. The recording system consisted of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) which is able to detect a broad range of volatile organic compounds. The sensor provides a measure of VOCs as ppm CO2 equivalents. The MOS is suitable for a non-invasive real-time monitoring of the breath exhale in humans. The study demonstrates that, apart from the T2DM metabolic derangement, performing a cognitive task, taken as an index of central neural effort, evoked distinct alterations in exhaled breath content. We conclude that exhaled breath content measurement might offer a novel diagnostic and therapeutic non-invasive approach in metabolic and neurodegenerative derangements.
对呼出气挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）的功能表达的理解，已逐渐从最初的呼吸病理标志物的识别扩展到生理活性的直接表达。在本研究中，我们研究了在执行认知任务时，通过呼吸分析实时监测 2 型糖尿病（T2DM）患者与对照组的潜在应用。T2DM 与认知障碍和神经缺陷有关，这是由于海马体中的胰岛素抵抗和胰岛素受体的高表达。我们旨在寻找呼气与 T2DM 和认知努力之间相互关联的证据。记录系统由一个金属氧化物半导体（MOS）组成，该半导体能够检测广泛的挥发性有机化合物。传感器提供了作为 ppm CO2 当量的 VOCs 的测量值。MOS 适用于对人类呼气进行非侵入性的实时监测。该研究表明，除了 T2DM 的代谢紊乱外，执行认知任务作为中枢神经努力的指标，会引起呼出呼吸成分的明显变化。我们得出结论，呼气成分测量可能为代谢和神经退行性紊乱提供一种新的诊断和治疗的非侵入性方法。
