Human Perception of Odors and Odor Blockers

Tim McClintock

Status: Completed

Conditions: Tobacco Smoking; Smoking Behaviors

Treatments: Other: Odorants

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06191419

1K18DC020155 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

43123

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether blockers of perception of key odorants in cigarette smoke have any utility in smoking cessation. The main question it aims to answer is:

• Can odor blockers be used to suppress perception of the intensity of cigarette smoke in ways that reduce the ability of the odor of cigarette smoke to increase the urge to smoke.

Participants will be asked to smell up to 20 odor samples per session and report on odor pleasantness and desire to smoke.

Full description

The experimental treatments include controls (clean air, irrelevant odor), blocking odors, cigarette smoke odor, and cigarette smoke odor mixed with blocking odors or irrelevant odor. To obtain cigarette smoke odor a 1 inch length of a 1R6F research cigarette is burned to completion in a sealed 5 gallon chamber fitted with septa. Using a syringe fit with a needle and filter, 60 mL aliquots of smoke odor are obtained. These smoke odor aliquots, along with blocking odors, are injected into odor sample bags fit with a septum and a valve that can be attached to the CPAP nose mask worn by each participating smoker. Participants open the valve, inhale once through the nose, close the valve, and then remove the bag from the mask before reporting odor pleasantness and the desire to smoke. A 2 - 3 min wait period is enforced between each odor presentation to prevent odor adaptation and to allow acute motivational effects to subside.

In a testing session a participant sniffs 4 concentrations of a mixture of 2 blocking odors, along with control odor samples. Presentation order is randomized. Each participant is assigned their own CPAP nose mask, and masks are disinfected after use. Participants also provide demographic (age, sex, ethnic and racial background) and smoking history information (cigarettes per day, preferred brand, age at onset, and time since last cigarette).

Enrollment: 27 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Smoker

Exclusion criteria

• Non Smoker
• Self reported inability to smell or taste

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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27 participants in 1 patient group

Participants that Smoke

Experimental group

Description:

Each smoker is asked to smell up to 20 samples per session. Samples include controls (clean air, irrelevant odor), blocking odors, cigarette smoke, and cigarette smoke mixed with blocking odors or irrelevant odors.

Treatment:

Other: Odorants