A Study of Taste- and Olfactory-Evoked Potentials in Patients With Visual Impairment: Taste, Smell, and Vision

NCT07707219 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: GABRIELLE 2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Visual impairment, whether central or peripheral, may influence the plasticity of other sensory modalities, such as taste and smell. Taste-evoked potentials (TEPs) and smell-evoked potentials (SEPs)-methods for analyzing brain activity in response to taste and smell stimuli-allow for the objective assessment of these interactions. This approach has already demonstrated its value in the study of cognitive disorders. This study aims to demonstrate an enhancement of taste and smell capabilities that could compensate for specific visual impairments, particularly in situations involving food choices.

Conditions

Central Visual Impairment; Peripherical Visual Impairment; Macular Retinal Dystrophy; Peripherical Macular Dystrophy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Average latency of PEG (Taste-Evoked Potentials) peaks

  Measurement of the mean latency of taste-evoked potential peaks in visually impaired patients versus control subjects following purely gustatory stimulation (sucrose).

  At the baseline

• Average amplitude of PEG (Taste-Evoked Potentials) peaks

  Measurement of the mean amplitude of taste-evoked potential peaks in visually impaired patients versus control subjects following purely gustatory stimulation (sucrose).

  At the baseline

Study Arms (2)

Patients with retinal dystrophy and central or peripheral visual field defects

OTHER

Other: Taste and smell evaluation; Other: Recording of evoked potentials (EP)

Healthy volunteers

OTHER

Other: Taste and smell evaluation; Other: Recording of evoked potentials (EP)

Interventions

Taste and smell evaluation OTHER

Determination of taste and smell ability scores using standardized methods (ETOC and Taste Strips)

Healthy volunteers; Patients with retinal dystrophy and central or peripheral visual field defects

Recording of evoked potentials (EP) OTHER

A recording of gustatory evoked potentials (GEP) and olfactory evoked potentials (OEP) in response to stimuli consisting of sucrose solution, vanillin, and a combination of the two.

Healthy volunteers; Patients with retinal dystrophy and central or peripheral visual field defects

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adult: ≥ 18 years and ≤ 60 years
• Individual who has given oral consent
• Individual who has been fasting (no food, drink, or tobacco) for at least 1 hour prior to PEG and PEO measurement
• No cognitive complaints and normal neurological examination.
• Group of patients with visual impairment:
• A. Central: documented bilateral macular dystrophy (e.g., Stargardt disease, Best disease) with confirmed central scotoma (CV 24.2, 10.2, or 30.2).
• B. Peripheral: documented bilateral peripheral retinal dystrophy with confirmed peripheral involvement (CV 30-2 or 24-2).
• Control group: a person with normal vision and no known ophthalmological abnormalities (normal visual acuity and fundus examination) who is precisely matched by sex and smoking status (former smoker who has quit vs. nonsmoker), and approximately matched by age (± 5 years) to a visually impaired participant included in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• For this group: patients with visual impairments:
• Individuals who are not enrolled in or eligible for a social security program
• Individuals subject to a legal protective measure (guardianship, conservatorship)
• Individuals subject to judicial safeguard measures
• Adults who are legally incapacitated or unable to give informed consent
• Documented COVID-19 infection within the 6 months prior to enrollment
• Active smokers (≥1 cigarette per day) or users of any other inhaled substances (water pipe, cannabis, etc.)
• Participants following a sugar-free diet
• Participants with diabetes, of any type
• Participants taking medication (ongoing during the study) that interferes with taste perception • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Individuals with neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's)
• Individuals with braids, dreadlocks, or any other hairstyle that prevents electrodes from being placed in sufficiently precise locations on the scalp.
• Overweight subjects with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m²

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon: lead

Study Sites (1)

Chu Dijon Bourgogne

Dijon, 21000, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Blindness, Cortical

Interventions

Taste

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Blindness; Vision Disorders; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Eye Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sensation; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Central Study Contacts

Pierre-Henry GABRIELLE

CONTACT

03.80.29.37.56; pierrehenry.gabrielle@chu_dijon.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2026
• First Posted: July 16, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Last Updated: July 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Locations

FR (1)