Study of Taste Deficits

June 5, 2019 updated by: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

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.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

450

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • 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.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • 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

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?

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Dennis T Drayna, Ph.D., National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

August 16, 2001

Study Completion

June 4, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 17, 2001

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 17, 2001

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

August 20, 2001

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

June 6, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 5, 2019

Last Verified

June 4, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 010230
  • 01-DC-0230

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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