Sex Differences in E-cig Perception: Study 1

January 26, 2026 updated by: Yale University

Sex Differences in E-Cigarette Flavor Sensory Perception As It Relates to Appeal and Reinforcing Efficacy Among Adult Smokers: Study 1

The primary objective is to examine the influence of sex on sensory effects, appeal, and reinforcing value of nicotine containing e-cigs in popular flavor components; sweet and cooling.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study looks at the effect of sex on the sensory effects of flavor components in e-cigarettes. Regular combustible tobacco users will sample 3 different flavored e-cigarettes containing nicotine in a human lab paradigm.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
66

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519
        • Connecticut Mental Health Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 44 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 21-44 years old
  • Able to read/write
  • Current cigarette smoking
  • Recent E-cig Exposure (>/= 10 uses in past 6 mo.)
  • Urine cot >200ng/ml
  • Willing to abstain from nicotine/tobacco 6-8hrs prior to lab session
  • Not looking to quit

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Untreated chronic medical conditions
  • Non-stable Rx medication
  • Illicit drug use
  • Pregnant, trying to become pregnant, breastfeeding
  • Not fully vaccinated for Coronavirus (e.g. COVID-19)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental E-Liquid Order "A"
All participants will be given all e-liquids (i.e. 3 flavor conditions all containing nicotine) in this within subject cross-over design study. Participants will be randomized in the order in which they receive the flavor conditions (across 3 visits).
Other: E-liquid Flavor 1
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with sweet e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 2
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with cooling e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 3
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with unflavored e-cigarette flavor.
Experimental: Experimental E-Liquid Order "B"
All participants will be given all e-liquids (i.e. 3 flavor conditions all containing nicotine) in this within subject cross-over design study. Participants will be randomized in the order in which they receive the flavor conditions (across 3 visits).
Other: E-liquid Flavor 1
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with sweet e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 2
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with cooling e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 3
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with unflavored e-cigarette flavor.
Experimental: Experimental E-Liquid Order "C"
All participants will be given all e-liquids (i.e. 3 flavor conditions all containing nicotine) in this within subject cross-over design study. Participants will be randomized in the order in which they receive the flavor conditions (across 3 visits).
Other: E-liquid Flavor 1
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with sweet e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 2
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with cooling e-cigarette flavor.
Other: E-liquid Flavor 3
E-liquid containing 36mg/ml pronated nicotine will be administered with unflavored e-cigarette flavor.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Appeal
Time Frame: immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes
Change in appeal at each flavor as measured by the computerized Labeled Hedonic Scale (LHS). Participants will self-report their responses using a computer mouse to indicate where on the scale response falls. The Labeled Hedonic Scale (LHS) is a bipolar category ratio scale that ranges from -100 (most disliked) to 100 (most liked), with 'neither liked nor disliked' as midpoint.
immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes
Sensory Effects
Time Frame: immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes
Change in sweetness, coolness, irritation, and bitterness at each flavor as measured by the computerized Generalized Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS). Participants will self-report their responses using a computer mouse to indicate where on the scale response falls. The Generalized Labeled Magnitude Scales (gLMS) are category ratio scales with seven semantic labels: "no sensation", "barely detectable", "weak", "moderate", "strong", "very strong", and "strongest imaginable", positioned quasi-logarithmically as per empirically determined semantic magnitudes on a 0-100 scale (strongest imaginable at the 100 end).
immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes
Reinforcing Efficacy
Time Frame: immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes
Change in reinforcing value at each flavor. Participants will use the multiple choice procedure to self-report their responses using a computer mouse to indicate where on the scale response falls. Following each puffing bout, participants will be asked to make discrete hypothetical choices between 10-puffs of the e-cig they had just used or a series of 44 monetary values ($0.25-$15.06). The minimum monetary value at which money is chosen over the e-cig puffs is a contingency-based estimate of e-cig value. At the end of each lab session, participants will be given a choice between another 10 e-cig puffs or one of the monetary amounts they picked in the Multiple Choice Procedures completed earlier.
immediately after intervention, up to 15 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Yale University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Danielle Davis, Yale University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 30, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 18, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 18, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 21, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 21, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 27, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2000032981
  • 1K01DA056494-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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