Study of Chemosensory Enhancement Through Neuromodulation Training (SCENT for Long COVID)

Launched by MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · May 9, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying two at-home treatments to help people who have lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19, a condition often referred to as long COVID. The treatments being tested are smell training, which involves practicing smelling different scents, and non-invasive trigeminal nerve stimulation, a method that uses gentle electrical signals to help improve smell. The goal is to find out if these treatments can effectively restore smell function in individuals experiencing problems like not being able to smell at all or having distorted smells.

To participate in this study, individuals should be between 18 and 75 years old, have experienced persistent smell loss after testing positive for COVID-19, and had a normal sense of smell before getting the virus. Participants will need to commit to daily treatment sessions at home, attend three in-person visits at the study site over 12 weeks, and fill out questionnaires about their smell experiences. Not only might participants see improvements in their own sense of smell, but their involvement will also help researchers learn more about how to treat smell loss related to long COVID.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • treatment-seeking for COVID-related persistent SL (anosmia, hyposmia, phantosmia or parosmia)
• • at least 1-month from SARS-coV-2 PCR-positive and/or rapid home-positive tests
• • normal sense of smell prior to COVID
• • naïve to both smell training (ST) and trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS)
• • able to comprehend English and provide informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • history of head injury (e.g. sport, accident, combat blast)
• • sinonasal condition (e.g. upper respiratory infection, rhinosinusitis, polyps)
• • neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorder, narcolepsy)
• • serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar, or other psychotic disorder)
• • suicidal ideation within the last month
• • current (≤6 months) heavy cigarette smoker (heavy defined as ≥ 10 pack-years)
• • oral/nasal steroids or other intranasal medications within the last month
• • immunomodulatory medications
• • pregnant or trying to become pregnant