Skip to main content
UK clinical trials - updated daily from ClinicalTrials.gov
TrialConnect
← Back to Search
Study pausedNA

The Taste-Mood Diagnostic Study

Sponsor: Ranvier Health Ltd

NCT ID: NCT03645447

View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

At a glance

What the study gets you
Access to the study treatment being tested
Type of study
Interventional (receives a drug or procedure)
Time in hospital
In-person visits at study sites — visit count not specified by the sponsor
Drug or intervention
Taste test (diagnostic test)
How long the study runs
Study runs about 56 months (dates as stated)
About the drug or intervention
Taste test — diagnostic test: A pseudo-randomised series of taste solutions are presented to the participant for identification as sugar or water, in order to establish their taste threshold.
Patient visit burden
Not specified by the sponsor
Type of study
Testing a treatment
Ages
18 Years and over
Who
All
Number of participants
240
Started
2022-06-06
Last checked
2026-06

Plain English Summary

What is this study?

  • • Testing a new treatment for depression
  • • NA - 240 participants
  • • The study looks at whether a taste test device can be used as a diagnostic aid for depression

Who can take part?

  • • Ages 18 Years and over
  • • Diagnosed with depression

Where?

  • • Bristol - Jhoots Pharmacy
  • • Honiton - Honiton Surgery
  • • Hull - Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
  • • Bristol - West Walk Surgery, Yate

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss with your doctor before making any decisions.

About This Trial

The study looks at whether a taste test device can be used as a diagnostic aid for depression. Taste tests will be carried out before and after first use of an antidepressant (prescribed by the patient's GP) and then again six to eight weeks later a further taste test will be conducted. The results of these tests will be assessed to see if they correlate with the outcome of validated mood questionnaires carried out at the first and second visits.

More detail

Research shows a clear link between taste sensitivity and depression, based on chemistry shared by the tongue and the brain. (Heath, T.P., Melichar, J.M., Nutt, D.J., Donaldson L.F. (2006) Human taste thresholds are modulated by serotonin and noradrenaline). The aim of this study is to investigate the use of a taste test in the diagnosis of depression and to predict drug effectiveness. A test is carried out before and after ingesting a probe drug (first prescribed antidepressant) to assess change in taste. Standard validated questionnaires are used to assess mood on the day the first antidepressant is ingested and then again six to eight weeks later. The study is a single centre, open label study using the patient's prescribed antidepressant as a probe with the primary objective of building on previous results obtained in a pilot study which used paroxetine as the probe drug (whether or not this was the drug chosen for treatment). The study is powered to test 240 patients, with a provision built in to the protocol for an interim analysis after 120 patients. Participants will be followed up after six to eight weeks of usual clinical care, by means of follow up questionnaires.

Depression

How this trial compares with your answers

Answer 2 more questions to improve match

What we know so far

Condition· Matched your search
Age· Tell us your age for better matching
Gender· Tell us your sex for better matching

Still need:

  • • Tell us your age for better matching
  • • Tell us your sex for better matching

Preliminary match based on your answers. Full eligibility requires on-site assessment including medical history, physical exam, and lab tests. This does not guarantee enrolment.

Eligibility at a Glance

Key info

  • Age: 18 Years and over
  • Who can join: All genders

Treatment history

Treatments you must have had:

  • ✓ stopped taking antidepressant medication at least six weeks

What the study is looking for

  • ✓Patients requiring pharmaceutical intervention as a treatment for MDD;
  • ✓Not suffering from any significant other mental or physical illness, such as confirmed psychosis, or end of life care.
  • ✓Receiving stable medical therapy for 30 days or longer before screening assessments;
  • ✓Be willing and able to comply with all visits and study related procedures;
  • ✓Not infected with coronavirus or needing to self-isolate

Who cannot take part

  • ✗Already on antidepressant medication;
  • ✗Known or suspected hypersensitivity or intolerance to any probes, or any of their excipients;
  • ✗Patients with a diagnosis of chronic pain.
  • ✗Participation in another trial concurrently or within 30 days preceding enrolment that is deemed to interfere with...
  • ✗Patients who are pregnant, or who are likely to become pregnant, will be excluded from the trial, as will...
See the full criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with a diagnosis of previously untreated Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) of at least 3 weeks duration or new or recurrent MDD untreated before this episode (patients who have previously received treatment for MDD must have stopped taking antidepressant medication at least six weeks prior to entering the trial); * Patients requiring pharmaceutical intervention as a treatment for MDD; * Not suffering from any significant other mental or physical illness, such as confirmed psychosis, or end of life care. * Receiving stable medical therapy for 30 days or longer before screening assessments; * Be willing and able to comply with all visits and study related procedures; * Not infected with coronavirus or needing to self-isolate * Understands the study requirements and the treatment procedures and is able to provide written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Already on antidepressant medication; * Known or suspected hypersensitivity or intolerance to any probes, or any of their excipients; * Relevant history or presence upon clinical examination, of cardiac, ophthalmologic, gastro-intestinal, hepatic, or renal disease or other condition known to increase risk of side effects of the probe drugs. This exclusion criterion is determined by the Site Investigator; * Have a history or presence of neurological or confounding psychiatric conditions (such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, space occupying lesions, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, transient ischemic attack, or schizophrenia), * Patients with a diagnosis of chronic pain. * Participation in another trial concurrently or within 30 days preceding enrolment that is deemed to interfere with this trial; * Patients who are pregnant, or who are likely to become pregnant, will be excluded from the trial, as will breastfeeding mothers; * Patients using supplements containing psychoactive herbs (for example St Johns Wort or 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan, also known as oxitriptan); * Patients regularly using psychoactive stimulants and recreational drugs (for example MDMA (ecstasy/ methyl enedioxy methamphetamine), amphetamine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), cocaine); * Patients infected with coronavirus, or who are advised to self-isolate * Patients who are unable or unwilling to comply with study procedures.

Where Is This Study? (4 UK sites)

Jhoots Pharmacy

Bristol BS9 3AG, United Kingdom

Honiton Surgery

Honiton EX14 2LY, United Kingdom

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust

Hull, United Kingdom

Hospital R&D contact (matched)

Stephen Walker

HNF-TR.ResearchTeam@nhs.net01482 301726

West Walk Surgery, Yate

Bristol BS37 4AX, United Kingdom

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov · Last verified: 2026-06