Digital Accessible Remote Olfactory Mediated Health Assessments for Preclinical AD

Massachusetts General Hospital250 enrolled

Overview

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.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

250

Conditions

Subjective Cognitive Concerns Mild Cognitive Impairment Mild Behavioral Impairment Healthy Aging

Interventions

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.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 100 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

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).

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

AROMHA Brain Health Test

The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a battery of 18 odors across 5 smell cards. The subject smells each odor label and is tested on odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination. An increased number of correct responses indicates a better sense of smell. We will evaluate MCI patients' performance against age-matched controls.

Time frame: 1 hour

Secondary Outcomes

AROMHA Brain Health Test

The AROMHA Brain Health Test is a battery of 18 odors across 5 smell cards. The subject smells each odor label and is tested on odor intensity, identification, memory, and discrimination. An increased number of correct responses indicates a better sense of smell. We will evaluate MBI patients' performance against age-matched controls.

Time frame: 1 hour

Central Contacts

Mark W Albers, MD PhD

CONTACT

617-724-7401 albers.mark@mgh.harvard.edu

Alefiya Albers, PhD