Independent directory Public ClinicalTrials.gov records United States
ClinicalTrials.gov record
Completed Not applicable Interventional

Visual-OLfactory Training in Participants With COVID-19 Resultant Loss of Smell

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04710394

Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04710394. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.

ClinicalTrials.gov public records Last synced Sep 5, 2026, 3:16 PM EDT

Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.

Official title

Efficacy of Bimodal Visual-Olfactory Training in Participants With COVID-19 Resultant Hyposmia or Anosmia Using Participant-Preferred Scents

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

Olfactory dysfunction is a defining symptom of COVID-19 infection. As the number of total, confirmed COVID-19 cases approached 19 million in the United States, it is estimated that there will be 250,000 to 500,000 new cases of chronically diminished smell (hyposmia) and loss of smell (anosmia) this year. Olfactory dysfunction is proposed to worsen numerous common co-morbidities in patients and has been shown to lead to a decreased quality of life. There are very few effective treatments for hyposmia or anosmia, and there is no gold standard of treatment. One proposed treatment option is smell training, which has shown promising yet variable results in a multitude of studies. It garners its theoretical basis from the high degree of neuroplasticity within the olfactory system, both peripherally and centrally. However, due to a relative inadequacy of proper studies on olfactory training, it is unknown what the most efficacious method in which to undergo the training is. This study proposes two novel procedural modifications to smell training in an attempt to enhance its efficacy. The investigators propose using a bimodal visual-olfactory approach, rather than relying on olfaction alone, during smell training, as well as using patient-preferred scents in the training that are identified as important by the study participant, rather than pre-determined scents with inadequate scientific backing. The investigators hypothesize that by utilizing bimodal visual-olfactory training and patient-selected scents, the olfactory training will be more efficacious and more motivating for participants.

Study identification

NCT ID
NCT04710394
Recruitment status
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Enrollment
240 participants

Conditions and interventions

Eligibility (public fields only)

Age range
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers not accepted

This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.

Study timeline

Start date
Jan 10, 2021
Primary completion
Mar 10, 2022
Completion
Mar 10, 2022
Last update posted
Jun 20, 2022

2021 – 2022

United States locations

U.S. sites
1
U.S. states
1
U.S. cities
1
Facility City State ZIP Site status
Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis St Louis Missouri 63108

Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.

About this trial record page

What this page shows
Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04710394, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
What this page does not do
No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
Where the data comes from
Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
Last refresh
Last update posted Jun 20, 2022 · Synced Sep 5, 2026

Related: full search, browse by condition, browse by drug or therapy, browse by sponsor, browse by U.S. city.

Open the official record

The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT04710394 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View official ClinicalTrials.gov record →