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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Migraine and olfactory stimuli
Christina Sjöstrand1, Ivanka Savic, Eva Laudon-Meyer
1Headache Research Centre, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. christina.sjostrand@ki.se
Abstract:
Migraine patients often report intolerance to odours. Migraineurs report odours may trigger attacks, that they experience osmophobia during attacks, and olfactory hypersensitivity between attacks. In this paper we discuss olfactory mechanisms in migraine. We also present data from a pilot questionnaire study in a group of young women diagnosed with migraine. The study results confirm that hypersensitivity to odour is a common feature in women with migraine. Migraine pathophysiology likely explains this particular vulnerability. We discuss these pathophysiologic mechanisms and hypotheses relating odour intolerances and migraine.
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