The Metabolic Layer of Cognition: Expanding the Horizons of Cognitive Neuroscience
A new publication in Frontiers in Neuroscience introduces an innovative perspective on one of the central challenges of contemporary neuroscience: understanding how cognitive processes emerge from the biological activity of the brain and the body.
In this contribution, Bianca Bonato and Umberto Castiello propose that metabolism may represent a critical, yet largely unexplored, level of analysis linking neural activity to behavior. While established techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiology have transformed our ability to measure brain activity, the biochemical processes that sustain and accompany neural signaling remain comparatively understudied.
The article highlights the potential of emerging metabolomic and breathomic technologies, particularly mass spectrometry-based approaches capable of detecting metabolites, neurotransmitters, lipids, and volatile organic compounds with remarkable sensitivity. Special attention is devoted to volatile compounds in exhaled breath, which may provide non-invasive indicators of the metabolic responses associated with cognitive activity.
By bringing together advances in neuroenergetics, systems neuroscience, metabolomics, and breathomics, the publication outlines a promising new research framework for investigating cognition. Rather than focusing solely on neural activity, this perspective emphasizes the dynamic interactions between brain function, metabolism, and whole-body physiology.
As analytical technologies continue to evolve, this article highlights the opportunity to incorporate metabolic dynamics into the study of the mind, opening new avenues for multimodal research and contributing to a more integrated understanding of cognition across biological scales.
Bonato B and Castiello U (2026) The metabolic layer of cognition: integrating metabolomics, breathomics, and systems neuroscience. Front. Neurosci. 20:1842643. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1842643
