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Taste DisorderNCT00022997

Study of Taste Deficits

An observational study of Taste Disorder and Healthy, run by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will explore the genetics of taste and taste deficits. The sense of taste plays a crucial role in food choices, allowing people to identify beneficial foods (those with high caloric value, which are typically sweet) and foods likely to be toxic (usually bitter substances). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Taste Disorder, Healthy
How many people
450 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
16 Aug 2001to 4 Jun 2019
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Individuals age 18 years and older.
  • Subjects must be medically healthy, with no cognitive impairment or physical swallowing inability or impairment
  • Must be able to provide informed consent
  • Must be able to read and understand English.
  • NIH employees or staff may participate in this study if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Who cannot join

  • Cannot be younger than 18 years of age
  • Subjects with suspected or known cognitive impairment or physical swallowing inability or impairment
  • Subjects who are unable to provide informed consent
  • Subjects who are taking any pyschoactive medications or medications that affect their nervous system, such as antidepressants or anti-psychotics.
  • Subjects who have known problems with these sense of taste
  • Subjects who are currently using tobacco

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Studies of Deficits in the Sense of Taste

This study will explore the genetics of taste and taste deficits. The sense of taste plays a crucial role in food choices, allowing people to identify beneficial foods (those with high caloric value, which are typically sweet) and foods likely to be toxic (usually bitter substances). The loss of sense of taste in older people plays a role in decreased appetite and poor nutrition. Taste deficits may adversely affect people in ways that are not well understood. This study will examine why some people (about one-fourth of all people in the United States) cannot taste a substance called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). The inability to taste PTC is due to inherited factors that are not yet clear.

Individuals age 18 and older who can taste PTC and individuals who cannot taste PTC may be eligible for this study. Participants will taste a number of liquid solutions until they find one with a clear taste. Then they will taste another group of solutions and decide which ones have that taste and which have no taste. Finally, they will taste a third group of solutions until they find one with a different taste. About 2 tablespoons of blood will be drawn from participants for genetic tests related to the sense of taste.

Read the detailed description

The primary goal of this study is to identify the underlying cause of deficits in the ability to taste different commonly consumed substances, including the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) as a model. Individuals will be tested to identify those who can and cannot taste PTC, as well as for their ability to taste a variety of sweet, sour, salty, and savory substances. Individuals will have 20 cc of blood drawn to obtain DNA. These DNA samples will then be analyzed for variation in genes whose products are known to be involved in taste perception pathways. Information about individuals DNA sequence variation will then be correlated with their taste phenotype to identify the specific genetic variation that causes phenotypic variation, providing molecular structure-function information in taste sensory pathways.

Keywords
Phenylthiocarbamide, Phlebotomy, Chemoreceptors, Population Associations, Non-Tasters, Taste, Healthy Volunteer, HV, Normal Control
Medical subject headings
Taste Disorders

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Aug 2001 (estimated)
  2. Study start16 Aug 2001
  3. Study completion4 Jun 2019

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Enrolment
450 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00022997
Sponsor's protocol ID
010230
Other IDs
01-DC-0230
Status last verified
4 Jun 2019
First submitted
17 Aug 2001
Last updated
6 Jun 2019
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Reddy BM, Rao DC. Phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity revisited: complete sorting test supports residual family resemblance. Genet Epidemiol. 1989;6(3):413-21. doi: 10.1002/gepi.1370060304.

    PubMed 2753351
  • Adler E, Hoon MA, Mueller KL, Chandrashekar J, Ryba NJ, Zuker CS. A novel family of mammalian taste receptors. Cell. 2000 Mar 17;100(6):693-702. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80705-9.

    PubMed 10761934
  • Conneally PM, Dumont-Driscoll M, Huntzinger RS, Nance WE, Jackson CE. Linkage relations of the loci for Kell and phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity. Hum Hered. 1976;26(4):267-71. doi: 10.1159/000152813.

    PubMed 976995

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Taste Disorder and Healthy, run by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Jun 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00022997, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Jun 2019.

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