Study of Taste Deficits
Completed
Conditions studied: Taste Disorder, Healthy
In brief
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.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00022997
- Run by
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- People needed
- 450
- Starts
- 2001-08-16
- Expected to finish
- 2019-06-04
- Last updated by the study team
- 2019-06-06
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- 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
Where it is running
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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