Single-centre Descriptive Study of Taste in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Through the Analysis of Taste Evoked Potentials

NCT07110207 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: JACQUIN 2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The FRONTAL-PEG study focuses on taste perception in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). This neurodegenerative disease, characterised by progressive loss of nerve cells, is the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Patients with FTLD often experience olfactory disorders (= sense of smell) and eating disorders: increased appetite, increased food intake and excessive consumption of sugary foods and snacking. This often leads to excessive weight gain. These eating disorders are still poorly understood at present. In this context, we hypothesise that an alteration in the gustatory pathway - i.e. the way in which the brain perceives taste - could contribute to the eating disorders frequently observed in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), particularly in the marked attraction to sweet foods. We therefore wish to objectively evaluate the taste response to a sweet solution (sucrose) in patients with FTLD, using taste evoked potentials (TEPs). Taste evoked potentials are a reliable and reproducible technique for assessing brain activity in response to taste stimulation. One of their advantages is that they are non-invasive. This study will document, for the first time in this disease, the characteristics of cortical (brain) processing of taste information. The FRONTAL-PEG study is an interventional, regional, single-centre study conducted at the Dijon University Hospital, in collaboration with the CMRR (Memory, Resources and Research Centre) and the CSGA (Centre for Taste and Food Sciences). All investigations are carried out at the CSGA (building adjacent to the Dijon University Hospital), with the exception of blood tests, which are carried out at the Dijon University Hospital. The total duration of participation in the study is one morning. No follow-up is planned at the end of the study.

Conditions

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Average latency of taste evoked potentials

  After a fasting period of at least two hours

Study Arms (1)

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

EXPERIMENTAL

Biological: Blood test; Other: Interrogation of the subject; Other: Cognitive assessment; Other: Nutritional assessment; Other: Taste tests; Other: Sucrose taste detection test

Interventions

Blood test BIOLOGICAL

Metabolic measurements and measurements of hormones related to food intake

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Interrogation of the subject OTHER

Collection of socio-demographic data, medical and family history, medication

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Cognitive assessment OTHER

MMSE and MoCA cognitive tests

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Nutritional assessment OTHER

Anthropometric data (weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, android/gynoid ratio, triceps skinfold thickness, brachial circumference), bioelectrical impedance analysis (body fat percentage, lean body mass, body water percentage and bone mass in kg)

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Taste tests OTHER

Recording of PEGs in response to a sucrose solution (prepared beforehand)

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Sucrose taste detection test OTHER

Triangular test

Patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Person who has given their free and informed consent
• Person of legal age
• Fasting \> 2 hours before PEG measurement
• Body Mass Index (BMI) \< 30 kg/m² (according to medical record data)
• DLFT: diagnostic criteria for established or probable DLFT

You may not qualify if:

• Persons not affiliated with or not covered by a social security scheme
• Persons subject to legal protection measures (guardianship, trusteeship)
• Persons subject to judicial protection measures
• Pregnant women, women in labour or breastfeeding women
• MMSE score \< 15 and/or MoCA score \< 10
• Active smokers (\> 4 cigarettes per day on a regular basis)
• Subject with a pacemaker (contraindication for bioelectrical impedance analysis)
• Subject with diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
• Taking medication (during the study) that interferes with taste

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon: lead

Study Sites (1)

CHU Dijon Bourgogne

Dijon, France

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Interventions

Hematologic Tests; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Nutrition Assessment

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Dementia; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; TDP-43 Proteinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Proteostasis Deficiencies; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Investigative Techniques; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychological Tests; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Epidemiologic Measurements; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Central Study Contacts

Agnès JACQUIN-PIQUES

CONTACT

03 80 29 59 02; agnes.jacquin-piques@chu-dijon.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 31, 2025
• First Posted: August 7, 2025
• Study Start: August 18, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

FR (1)