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EP-4735084-A1 - A METHOD FOR OLFACTORY TRAINING, A KIT OF NOSE PLUGS FOR USE IN AN OLFACTORY TRAINING PROGRAM, AND A NOSE PLUG FOR USE IN AN OLFACTORY TRAINING PROGRAM

EP4735084A1EP 4735084 A1EP4735084 A1EP 4735084A1EP-4735084-A1

Abstract

The disclosure relates a method for olfactory training and a computer program for use in the method for olfactory training, using a nose plug being adapted for insertion into a nostril of a human subject, wherein the nose plug comprises a structural molded material and a fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances experienced as an odor, said 5 fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances being evenly dispersed in the structural molded material. The disclosure further relates to a kit of nose plugs for use in an olfactory training program and a nose plug for use in an olfactory training program.

Inventors

  • LILJEFORS, Adrian
  • LUNDSTRÖM, Johan

Assignees

  • NoseOption AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240625

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method for olfactory training, comprising the steps of a. providing a subject with at least two or more nose plugs adapted for insertion into a nostril of a human subject, the nose plugs comprising a structural molded material and a fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances collectively experienced as an odor, said fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances being evenly dispersed in the structural molded material, and said two or more nose plugs each comprising a different fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances collectively experienced as an odor, b. exposing at least one nostril of said subject to the two or more nose plugs one at a time and in a predetermined order and duration; c. repeating the exposure on a daily basis for a predetermined training period.
  2. 2. The method for olfactory training according to claim 1, wherein exposing the nostrils to a nose plug comprises the action of said subject applying the nose plug to the nostrils by at least partial insertion of the nose plug into the nostrils.
  3. 3. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein exposing the nostrils to a nose plug comprises allowing the nose plug to remain in the nostrils for at least approximately 5 minutes, more preferably approximately 10 minutes.
  4. 4. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein the order of exposing the subject to the fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor is varied from day to day according to a predetermined scheme.
  5. 5. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein at least two different nose plugs with different fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor are used in the predetermined order.
  6. 6. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein the predetermined order is that on day 1 the subject is exposed to at least four different fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor, and on day 2 the subject is exposed to at least one other fragrance substance or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor compared to day 1.
  7. 7. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein the duration of the training program is at least 1 to 2 weeks, preferably at least 1 month, and more preferably at least 2-4 months, wherein the subject is exposed to fragrance substances 5 days per week, and the subject is pausing the training 2 days per week.
  8. 8. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein exposing at least one nostril comprises inserting at least an entire flexible member fully into the nostril, such that only a support member remains outside the nostril.
  9. 9. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein the fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor are chosen from the group comprising strawberry, vanilla, lemon, melon, rosemary, menthol, cherry, orange, peach, cola, lavender, clove, cacao, coffee, citrus, carnation, rose, banana, apple, clove and cinnamon.
  10. 10. The method for olfactory training according to any preceding claim, wherein the training is for the treatment of hyposmia, anosmia and/or parosmia.
  11. 11. The method for olfactory training according to claim 10, wherein the hyposmia, anosmia and/or parosmia is a result of the subject having suffered from or is suffering from infection, covid, post-covid, injury to head and/or nervous system, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer and stroke.
  12. 12. A computer program for use in olfactory training according to any preceding claim, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to provide guidance to a subject undergoing olfactory training in accordance with any preceding claim, and/or following up activities performed by said subject as part of said olfactory training.
  13. 13. A kit of nose plugs for use in the method for olfactory training according to any of claims 1 to 11, comprising: -at least two or more nose plugs for at least two or more different odors, each nose plug comprising one fragrance substance or mixture of substances experienced as an odor, and - instructions for use.
  14. 14. The kit of nose plugs according to claim 13, wherein the fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor are chosen from the group comprising strawberry, vanilla, lemon, melon, rosemary, menthol, cherry, orange, peach, cola, lavender, clove, cacao, coffee, citrus, carnation, rose, , banana, apple, clove and cinnamon.
  15. 15. The kit of nose plugs according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the kit comprises at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 different nose plugs with different fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor.
  16. 16. The kit of nose plugs according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the nose plugs have different concentrations and/or amounts, such as low, medium and/or high concentration/amount of a fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor.
  17. 17. The kit of nose plugs according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the kit comprises nose plugs for about 10 different fragrance substances or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor.
  18. 18. The kit of nose plugs according to any one of claims 13 to 17 wherein the kit comprises a plurality of nose plugs for each fragrance substance or mixtures of substances experienced as an odor.
  19. 19. A nose plug (1, 10) for use in an olfactory training program, the nose plug being adapted for insertion into a nostril of a human subject, characterized in that the nose plug comprises a structural molded material and a fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances collectively experienced as an odor, said fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances being evenly dispersed in the structural molded material.
  20. 20. The nose plug according to claim 19, wherein the structural molded material is a plastic, polymer or cellulose-based material.

Description

A method for olfactory training, a kit of nose plugs for use in an olfactory training program, and a nose plug for use in an olfactory training program Technical field The present disclosure relates to a method for olfactory training and a computer program for use in an olfactory training program, a kit of nose plugs for use in an olfactory training program, and a nose plug for use in an olfactory training program, as defined in the introductory parts of the independent claims. Background art The loss of the sense of smell, either total (anosmia), partial (hyposmia), or dysfunctional smell detection (parosmia, being characterized by the inability of the brain to correctly identify an odor's natural smell) are relatively frequent states for many persons. The reasons for the loss of the sense of smell can be many, such as head injury, infection or medical or mechanical blockage of the nose. Psychological factors may also, at least partly, have a large impact on the experienced smell loss. Moreover, psychiatric disorders like depression are common in subjects experiencing loss of smell. Despite the reason for the loss of smell, and the severity of the loss, there are training programs for partly or completely improving the sense of smell, so called olfactory training programs. Hummel et al. ("Effects of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss", Laryngoscope 119: March 2009, p 496-499) discusses training programs for subjects having olfactory dysfunction, wherein the subjects are exposed to different odors in a training program over time (12 weeks). The study revealed that structured, short-term exposure to selected odors may increase olfactory sensitivity, whereas the olfactory sensitivity was unchanged for subjects not performing the training program. Pieniak et al. ("Olfactory training. Thirteen years of research reviewed", Neuroscience and Biobehavorial Reviews 141 (2022) 104853) reviews the research area of olfactory training. Thus, it appears vital to perform olfactory training to improve or regain loss of smell. Therefore, it is important to identify training programs and associated devices that facilitate such training, thereby improving the chances of successful development for the subject's olfactory sensitivity. However, current training programs have been found to often not lead to expected or desired results. There is often a lack of scientific base for the training program used for the specific subject, and it is difficult to control and follow-up on the ability of the subject to perform the training program as planned. Sometimes this can be related to lack of motivation for the subject undergoing the training program, and/or practical difficulties and/or lack of time to enable a structured, daily training. Moreover, there are issues with regard to the efficiency and compatibility of presently used methods and devices. Hence, there is a need for improved devices and training programs using such devices for improving the outcome of olfactory trainings for subjects in need thereof. Summary It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. The present inventors have surprisingly found that a nose plug and/or a plurality of nose plugs structurally configured substantially as described in either WO2011/162677 or WO2018/206388 (both incorporated by reference herein), further comprising at least one fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances experienced as an odor, i.e. a substance or substance mixture capable of having a certain smell that can be used for training the sense of smell in a subject, facilitates the training of the olfactory sensitivity for subjects and patients in need thereof. In particular, using methods involving a nose plug for olfactory training leads to higher improvement of the sense of smell by increasing the compliance of the subject to the training program, compared to using traditional methods. This is largely due to the ease of use, and ability to wear the device while going about one's regular tasks. Therefore, according to a first aspect there is provided a method for olfactory training, comprising the steps of a. providing a subject with at least two or more nose plugs adapted for insertion into a nostril of a human subject, the nose plugs comprising a structural molded material and a fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances collectively experienced as an odor, said fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances being evenly dispersed in the structural molded material, and said two or more nose plugs each comprising a different fragrance substance or mixture of fragrance substances collectively experienced as an odor, b. exposing at least one nostril of said subject to the two or more nose plugs one at a time and in a predetermined order and duration; c. repeating the