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Sniff your way to a better mood? study tests smell training for depression

NCT ID NCT03605524

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital, Tours Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether daily smell training over 12 weeks can improve mood and smell perception in 150 people with mild depressive symptoms or major depression. Participants practiced smelling different odors each day. Researchers measured changes in smell ability and emotional responses. The goal was to see if this simple, non-drug approach could help ease depression.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
sensory training (olfactory or visual)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to ease depressive symptoms by retraining the sense of smell.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with no placebo control, so results may not be conclusive. The effect on major depression is unknown.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

150 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2018

Finished

Jun 2023

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria healthy subjects: * Without psychiatric history * QIDS scale score less than or equal to 15 * Affiliation to a social security system * Able to give his written informed consent Inclusion Criteria depressed patients: * With a diagnosis of depressive episode characterized according to the DSM-5 criteria, confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) * No argument for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, confirmed by the MINI * QIDS scale score greater than or equal to 16 * Follow-up in hospitalization and / or ambulatory consultation * Without comorbidities (alcoholism, eating disorders ...) * Affiliation to a social security system * Able to give his written informed consent Exclusion Criteria healthy subjects and depressed patients: * Pathology or condition likely to modify their olfactory and / or taste perception * Allergies with one or more odors, food allergies and / or known anosmias and ageusia * Legal incapacity and / or circumstances rendering the person incapable of understanding the nature, objectives or consequences of the study

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Anosmia Depression major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Depressive disorder, major Depressive symptoms

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • UMR 1253 IBrain, University, Tours

    Tours, 37032, France

  • University Psychiatric Clinic, University hospital,Tours

    Tours, 37044, France

  • University health service, University ,Tours

    Tours, 37000, France

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