An observational study in HIV and Substance Use Disorder, sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-10.
Sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) · Observational
Background:
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can affect areas of the brain that control thinking ability. These same areas of the brain also control the sense of smell. HIV infection is common in people with substance use disorder (SUD). SUD also affects thinking ability. Researchers want to learn more about the connection between the sense of smell and decision-making ability in people with HIV, SUD, or both.
Objective:
To test the sense of smell in people with HIV and/or SUD and how they make choices based on odors.
Eligibility:
People aged 18 to 65 years with any of these: (1) HIV, (2) SUD, (3) both HIV and SUD, or (4) neither SUD nor HIV.
Design:
Participants will have 2 visits. Each visit will last 3 to 5 hours.
In visit 1, participants will have a blood draw and a saliva swab. They will answer questions about their health, sleep habits, food intake, and substance use. They will have smell tests:
They will smell scented sticks and answer questions about them. They will be blindfolded for some tests.
They will perform tasks on a computer. They will look at pictures and smell pleasant food odors, such as chocolate cake or pizza. Smells will be delivered using a nasal mask. Their sniffing and breathing will be measured. They may also be exposed to odor-free air. They will eat food that corresponds to one of the food odors they smelled.
In visit 2, participants will do a saliva swab and a different computer task that involves odors. They will also have tests of their attention and memory. Participants may opt to have an imaging scan of the brain.
Study Description:
Cognitive impairments persist in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) despite anti-retroviral therapy (ART). However, these impairments remain under-characterized and it is not clear whether they include deficits in model-based control of behavior. HIV is common in people with substance use disorder (SUD) but the combined impact of HIV and SUD on cognition remains unclear. The olfactory system is uniquely vulnerable to neurodegeneration and overlaps with brain regions involved in decision making. This study will investigate olfactory function and model-based behavior in people living with HIV and SUD, and relate these measures to biomarkers of neurodegeneration.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this protocol is to compare olfactory function and performance on behavioral tasks assessing model-based behavior between people living with and without HIV, and between people with and without SUD.
Secondary objectives of this protocol are to compare blood-based and MRI-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration between people living with and without HIV, and between people with and without SUD.
Endpoints:
Primary:
Secondary:
2,238 studies on the registry are indexed under Substance-Related Disorders; 409 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 120 is below the median of 251 across 299 observational studies indexed under Substance-Related Disorders.
Browse Substance-Related Disorders studies →National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the lead sponsor of 393 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.
Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (43%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The criteria were revised on the registry on Nov 5, 2026. See what changed
local community sample: metropolitan Baltimore area
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
For all participants:
For participants in the + and SUD+ and HIV+ and SUD- groups:
1. HIV positive.
For participants in the HIV+ and SUD+ and HIV- \& SUD+ groups:
1. Current history (past 12 months) of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) or medical treatment for SUD, other than Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), mild Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), or Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD). Non-medical treatments for SUD will be evaluated on a case-by-case-basis by the MAI.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
For all participants:
For participants in the + and SUD- and HIV- and SUD- groups:
For participants in the HIV- and SUD+ and HIV- and SUD- groups:
1. HIV positive.
For participants in the HIV- \& SUD- group:
1. Unable to undergo MRI scanning due to certain metallic or magnetic devices or implants in the body, or claustrophobia.
For the Optional MRI Segment:
1. Unable to undergo MRI scanning due to certain metallic or magnetic devices or implants in the body, or claustrophobia.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Individuals without HIV and without an SUD
Individuals without HIV and with an SUD
Individuals with HIV and without an SUD
Individuals with HIV and with an SUD
Olfactory function
Sniffin Sticks Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification tests
Time frame: Visit 1
Model-based decision making
Model-based decision making as assessed in an outcome devaluation task (visit 1) and sensory preconditioning task (visit 2)
Time frame: Visit 1 & 2
Neurofilament Light Chain
Plasma levels of neurofilament light chain \[NfL\]
Time frame: Visit 1
MRI
MRI-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration
Time frame: Visit 2 (optional)
Plan to share: Yes — Individual participant data will be de-identified, which may be shared with (a) open data repositories and (b) with collaborators with whom proper data sharing agreements are in place, after consultation with and approval from the NIDA Technology Development Coordinator. The code to those data will not be shared. @@@@@@
Time frame: De-identified data may be made available for sharing for at least 5 years after study completion.
Access criteria: De-identified data may be shared with (a) open data repositories and (b) with collaborators with whom proper data sharing agreements are in place, after consultation with and approval from the NIDA Technology Development Coordinator. Requests for data sharing will have to be addressed to the study PI in writing.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Nov 2026; primary completion for Jun 2031, 55 months later.
Start moved 32 times since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026: Sep 2026 → Nov 2026, last on Nov 10, 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) →