Tracking daily changes in the sense of smell
Intensive longitudinal assessment of human olfaction
This project follows adults' sense of smell over time, including people with normal smell and those with smell loss, to map normal ups and downs and differences linked to illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11135297 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would do brief, repeated smell checks over days, weeks, or months using easy home or clinic tests and a phone-based log so researchers can see how smell changes over short and long timeframes. The team will enroll healthy adults and people with smell disorders (for example after COVID-19) to compare typical fluctuation versus persistent loss. Data will look for patterns tied to sleep/wake cycles, aging, infection, or mood changes to help tell normal variation from disease. Results will help build better testing schedules and interpretation for clinicians and researchers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older, including healthy volunteers and people with recent or chronic smell loss (such as post-COVID anosmia) who can complete repeated home or clinic-based smell tests, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 21, those unable to follow repeated testing procedures, or anyone seeking immediate medical treatment rather than monitoring are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors distinguish normal smell fluctuations from true smell disorders, enabling earlier diagnosis and better-targeted care.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows smell can change with circadian rhythms, aging, and after viral infection, but frequent, long-term home-based tracking like this is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Charlottesville, United States
- University of Virginia — Charlottesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Munger, Steven D — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Munger, Steven D
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.