Text Size

Study of Taste Deficits

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Information provided by:
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00022997
First received: August 17, 2001
Last updated: December 19, 2012
Last verified: June 2012
History of Changes
  Purpose

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.


Condition
Taste Disorder
Healthy

Study Type: Observational
Official Title: Studies of Deficits in the Sense of Taste

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC):

Enrollment: 281
Study Start Date: August 2001
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.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria
  • 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.

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
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00022997

Locations
United States, Maryland
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
Sponsors and Collaborators
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)
  More Information

Additional Information:
NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page  This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Publications:

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00022997     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: 010230, 01-DC-0230
Study First Received: August 17, 2001
Last Updated: December 19, 2012
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC):
Phenylthiocarbamide
Phlebotomy
Chemoreceptors
Population Associations
Non-Tasters
 Taste
Healthy Volunteer
HV
Normal Control

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Taste Disorders
Sensation Disorders
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 19, 2013