Scents, Chemicals & the Migraine Brain
Key Questions
- What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and how do they relate to odors and the trigeminal nerve system in people with migraine disease?
- Do VOCs need to have an odor to be a trigger or cause problems for people with migraine disease?
- What steps can be taken to mitigate the high concentration of VOCs and chemical compounds released from new items like furniture or flooring?
- How does osmophobia (smell sensitivity) during an attack differ from an odor acting as a direct migraine trigger?
- What were the unexpected research findings regarding olfactory function in people with migraine disease and osmophobia?
- What strategy is advised to help people with migraine disease avoid losing their ability to smell while still managing potentially triggering odors?
- Do studies show that having migraine with aura affects sensitivity to smells differently than having migraine without aura?
- What types of protections or accommodations could be sought in the workplace for people who are highly sensitive to VOCs and chemical smells?
Gudrun Gossrau, MD
Professor of Neurology, Headache and Pain Specialist
Technische Universität Dresden TUD
Gudrun Gossrau, MD, is a professor at the Technische Universität (TU) Dresden and consultant neurologist at its University Hospital, where she directs the Headache Center and serves as vice head of the Interdisciplinary University Pain Center.
She studied medicine at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the University of Ottawa, the University of Western Ontario, and TU Dresden. Since 2014, she has built and led the Headache Center Dresden, establishing it as a leading institution for translational headache research and patient care. Her research focuses on sensory mechanisms in migraine, olfactory influences on pain perception, sex differences in headache disorders, and pediatric headache. For children and adolescents, she founded a pioneering interdisciplinary, multimodal headache therapy program.
Professor Gossrau has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on headache and pain. She is general secretary of the German Migraine and Headache Society, member of the Annual Program Committee of the German Pain Congress, and serves on the Steering Committee of the German Headache Registry. Her innovative contributions to headache therapy have earned her several distinctions, including the Brand Prize for Innovative Headache Therapy and the MSD Health Award Germany 2024.
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Migraine & Headache Australia is the only organization in Australia that has supported the more than 5 million Australians affected by headache and migraine for 20 years. Migraine & Headache Australia is a division of the Brain Foundation.
