Hydrogen inhalation is associated with a transient rightward shift in prefrontal oxyhemoglobin asymmetry and autonomic modulation.

ABSTRACT: Molecular hydrogen (H₂) has selective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, yet its immediate effects on human cerebral oxygenation and autonomic function remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated acute central and autonomic responses to a single 30-minute session of hydrogen inhalation in healthy adults, using 99.9% hydrogen delivered via nasal cannula at a fixed flow rate of 300 mL/min. Cerebral oxygenation was assessed using time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-NIRS) to quantify the concentrations of oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) in the bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), and to calculate interhemispheric asymmetry indices before hydrogen inhalation, immediately after the end of inhalation, and at 30 and 90 min thereafter. Autonomic acti

SUBMITTER: Moriya M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12905198 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature