The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 22;15(1):8809. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52650-6.
Olfaction may play a restricted role in human behavior, yet paradoxically, its absence in anosmia is associated with diverse deleterious outcomes, culminating in reduced life expectancy. The mammalian nose serves two purposes: olfaction and breathing. Because respiratory patterns are impacted by odors, we hypothesized that nasal respiratory airflow may be altered in anosmia. We apply a wearable device that precisely logs nasal airflow for 24-hour-long sessions in participants with isolated congenital anosmia and controls. We observe significantly altered patterns of respiratory nasal airflow in anosmia in wake and in sleep. These differences allow classification of anosmia at 83% accuracy using the respiratory trace alone. Patterns of respiratory airflow have pronounced impact on health, emotion and cognition. We therefore suggest that a portion of the deleterious outcomes associated with anosmia may be attributed to altered patterns of respiratory nasal airflow rather than a direct result of lost odor perception per se.
嗅觉在人类行为中可能发挥着有限的作用，但矛盾的是，嗅觉缺失与多种有害后果相关，最终导致预期寿命缩短。哺乳动物的鼻子有两个作用：嗅觉和呼吸。由于呼吸模式受到气味的影响，我们假设嗅觉丧失者的鼻腔呼吸气流可能会发生改变。我们应用一种可穿戴设备，在患有孤立性先天性嗅觉丧失症的参与者和对照组中进行长达 24 小时的鼻腔气流精确记录。我们观察到在觉醒和睡眠中，嗅觉丧失者的鼻腔呼吸气流模式发生了显著变化。这些差异仅使用呼吸轨迹即可达到 83%的准确性来分类嗅觉丧失症。呼吸气流模式对健康、情绪和认知有显著影响。因此，我们认为，嗅觉丧失相关的部分有害后果可能归因于呼吸气流模式的改变，而不仅仅是嗅觉丧失本身的直接结果。
