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Olfactory Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment

NCT06825403 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2026-03-19

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Sense of smell tends to decline in individuals with early Alzheimer's disease, typically earlier than when other senses and thinking abilities begin to decline. Memory for new odors is particularly diminished in these individuals. Existing treatments for AD do not improve these symptoms. A targeted treatment for improving sense of smell, called 'Olfactory Training', has been used to improve sense of smell in people with various forms of smell loss, though it is not known whether it can improve smell abilities and thinking abilities in patients who are at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The investigators will conduct a randomized clinical trial with patients who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This is an early phase of memory loss that is worse than normal aging and may precede Alzheimer's disease. Patients will be randomized to either olfactory memory training or visual memory training for 3 months, with a final follow-up visit at 6 months. This study will attempt to determine if olfactory training is a useful for improving smell abilities, thinking abilities, and everyday functioning by examining change in these outcomes over time.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Olfactory Memory Training

Participants will complete 48 OMT sessions at home lasting approximately 10 minutes each over 3 months.

BEHAVIORAL

Visual Memory Training

Participants will complete 48 VMT sessions at home lasting approximately 10 minutes each over 3 months.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Jeffrey N Motter, PhD · Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
55 Years
Max Age
89 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-08-07
Primary Completion
2028-03-31
Completion
2028-03-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Diseases
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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06825403 on ClinicalTrials.gov