Sensory Stimulation as a Driver of Diet-induced Thermogenesis (SENSATION)

SEnsory stimulatioN aS A Driver of dieT-induced Thermogenesis - the SENSATION Trial

This study aims to assess the influence of sensory stimulation on diet-induced energy expenditure by way of a clinical cross-over trial in 24 healthy participants either receiving a meal bolus with (orally) and without sensory stimulation (nasogastric-tube).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Diet-induced Thermogenesis; Sensory Function
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: sensory exposure; Procedure: sensory deprivation

Detailed Description

Here, the investigators postulate sensory stimulation (i.e. the sight, smell, auditory and tactile properties, as well as the taste of food) to be drivers of diet induced thermogenesis, an insufficiently understood mechanism of body weight regulation. Research into this area to date has focused on macro-nutrient composition delivered unphysiologically (i.v. or in form of unpalatable solutions). Thereby neglecting the bulk of food-intake associated sensory stimulation and thus the contribution of the brain itself.

The investigators aim to gain insight into the role of sensory stimulation in this context by means of a cross-over proof-of concept exploratory clinical trial. Comparing 24 healthy human volunteers receiving a meal bolus with (orally) and without sensory stimulation (nasogastric-tube) by indirect calorimetry, tissue-adjacent temperature measurements and ex vivo analyses.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Matthias Betz, Prof.; Phone Number: 0041 61 556 56 54; Email: matthias.betz@usb.ch
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Sophia J Wiedemann, Dr. phil. Dr. med. M.Sc.; Phone Number: 0041 61 328 44 97; Email: sophiajulia.wiedemann@usb.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Basel, Switzerland, 4031
    • Recruiting
    • University Hospital Basel, Department of Endocrinology
    • Contact: Matthias Betz, Prof.; Phone Number: 0041 61 556 56 54; Email: matthias.betz@usb.ch

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy volunteers of any gender
• BMI between 18-25 kg/m2
• age between 18 and 40 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• concomitant medication except for prescription free analgetics (paracetamol, NSAIDs) and oral contraceptives
• clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g. renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus),
• allergy to local anaesthetic or any of the study meal ingredients
• known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse
• smoker / habitual tobacco use
• habitual excessive alcohol consumption
• inability to follow the procedures of the study
• participation in another study with investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study
• previous enrolment into the current study
• enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons
• uncontrolled hypo- or hyperthyroidism
• pregnancy or lactation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sensory Exposure; Administration of a full meal orally	Procedure: sensory exposure; Administration of a full meal orally ("regular eating") in study visit A
Experimental: Sensory Deprivation; Administration of the same meal as for the sensory exposure visit by way of a nasogastric tube	Procedure: sensory deprivation; Administration of a full meal via nasogastric tube in study visit B (thereby masking it from the senses)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Diet-induced energy expenditure	diet-induced thermogenesis as determined by indirect calorimetry measurements of VO2 in the sensory exposure condition (full meal) as compared to the sensory deprivation condition (same meal via nasogastric tube)	data will be collected from baseline (30 minutes before meal bolus administration) up to 300 minutes post-administration, divided into five segments: four 30-minute intervals and one 75-minute interval.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Skin temperature	brown adipose tissue activity as measured by supraclavicular skin temperature in response to both trial conditions It will be measured using wireless temperature sensors (iButton Thermochron) attached to the skin at 11 pre-defined locations	data will be collected from baseline (60 minutes before meal bolus administration) up to 300 minutes post-administration

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sophia J Wiedemann, Dr. phil. Dr. med. M.Sc., University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 27, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Diet-induced thermogenesis; Sensory Stimulation
• Other Study ID Numbers: SENSATION_V3

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