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Purpose

The goal of this study is to objectively test one's sense of smell, called olfaction, in participants with Subjective Cognitive Concerns (SCC), Mild Cognitive Impairment, Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI), and age-matched controls. The main question it aims to answer is whether the AROMHA Brain Health Test could serve as a predictive biomarker of neurodegenerative disorders. This understanding will aid in the development of a noninvasive, cost-effective diagnostic tool that reliably and specifically distinguishes disease and normal aging populations. Participants will take the approximately 45-minute AROMHA Brain Health Smell Test where they will peel and sniff labels on the physical smell cards and answer questions on the web-based app relating to what they smelled. Participants will undergo tests for odor intensity, odor identification, odor discrimination, and episodic olfactory memory, but will not be provided the results of these tests.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 100 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • A clinical or research consensus diagnosis of the patient's condition or control status. - Individuals that are at least 18 years of age at the time of enrollment. - Individuals that are no older than 100 years of age at the time of enrollment.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Primary pulmonary disease such as severe emphysema or asthma not under good medical control. - Current sinusitis, common cold, upper respiratory infection, or nasal polyps. - Current or recent (past 6 months) alcohol or substance dependence. A prior history of alcohol or substance abuse will not be grounds for exclusion. - Pregnancy. - Severe cognitive dysfunction that would preclude completion of the olfactory testing. - An adverse reaction to fragrances (ie. they trigger a severe asthmatic attack or nausea).

Study Design

Phase
Study Type
Observational
Observational Model
Cohort
Time Perspective
Cross-Sectional

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Subjective Cognitive Concerns (SCC) The composition of the proposed study population will reflect that of subjects recruited through the Longitudinal Cohort of the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and that of patients treated by neurologists at the Memory and Movement Disorders Clinics at MGH as well as participants from the community.
  • Device: AROMHA Brain Health Test
    The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a self-administered, at-home smell test developed as a potential primary screen for identifying individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer's and as a means to follow disease progression in individuals without overt cognitive symptoms. The smell test device consists of five physical smell cards and a paired web-based app that directs participants on how to sample odors and asks them questions regarding what they have smelled. The 45-minute smell test battery includes measures of odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) The composition of the proposed study population will reflect that of subjects recruited through the Longitudinal Cohort of the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and that of patients treated by neurologists at the Memory and Movement Disorders Clinics at MGH as well as participants from the community.
  • Device: AROMHA Brain Health Test
    The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a self-administered, at-home smell test developed as a potential primary screen for identifying individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer's and as a means to follow disease progression in individuals without overt cognitive symptoms. The smell test device consists of five physical smell cards and a paired web-based app that directs participants on how to sample odors and asks them questions regarding what they have smelled. The 45-minute smell test battery includes measures of odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination.
Mild Behavioral Impairment [prominent apathy] (MBI) The composition of the proposed study population will reflect that of subjects recruited through the Longitudinal Cohort of the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and that of patients treated by neurologists at the Memory and Movement Disorders Clinics at MGH as well as participants from the community.
  • Device: AROMHA Brain Health Test
    The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a self-administered, at-home smell test developed as a potential primary screen for identifying individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer's and as a means to follow disease progression in individuals without overt cognitive symptoms. The smell test device consists of five physical smell cards and a paired web-based app that directs participants on how to sample odors and asks them questions regarding what they have smelled. The 45-minute smell test battery includes measures of odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination.
Age-matched Controls We will utilize community sampling to recruit 100 age-matched controls.
  • Device: AROMHA Brain Health Test
    The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a self-administered, at-home smell test developed as a potential primary screen for identifying individuals at risk for developing Alzheimer's and as a means to follow disease progression in individuals without overt cognitive symptoms. The smell test device consists of five physical smell cards and a paired web-based app that directs participants on how to sample odors and asks them questions regarding what they have smelled. The 45-minute smell test battery includes measures of odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination.

Recruiting Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts 02129
Contact:
Mark W Albers, MD PhD
617-724-7401
albers.mark@mgh.harvard.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Contact

Mark W Albers, MD PhD
617-724-7401
albers.mark@mgh.harvard.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.