Use of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) for the investigation of the Human Olfactory System

Abstract

In vivo fMRI study of the human olfactory system is difficult not only because the devoted areas in human cortex are much less extended than those of the other sensory systems, but also for the presence of a high magnetic susceptibility around the olfactory stations. This work presents the results obtained in the attempt of developing a robust and reproducible fMRI technique to evaluate the human olfactory system in healthy subjects