title: Cortical activity during olfactory stimulation in multiple chemical sensitivity: a (18)F-FDG PET/CT study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the differences in brain glucose consumption during olfactory stimulation between subjects affected by multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and a group of healthy individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in 26 subjects (6 men and 20 women; mean age 46.7 ± 11 years) with a clinical diagnosis of MCS and in 11 healthy controls (6 women and 5 men; mean age 45.7 ± 11 years), the first scan after a neutral olfactory stimulation (NS) and the second after a pure olfactory stimulation (OS). Differences in (18)F-FDG uptake were analysed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In controls OS led to an increase in glucose consumption in BA 18 and 19 and a reduction in glucose metabolism in BA 10, 11, 32 and 47. In MCS subjects, OS led to an increase in glucose consumption in BA 20, 23, 18 and 37 and a reduction in glucose metabolism in BA 8, 9 and 10.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of our study suggest that cortical activity in subjects with MCS differs from that in healthy individuals during olfactory stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, agostino.chiaravalloti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Agostino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaravalloti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micarelli
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Genovesi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alessandrini
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schillaci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009812:Odorants; D066194:Olfactory Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012903:Smell; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18