Why stroke victims rarely lose their total sense of smell

 Stroke victims rarely lose their total sense of smell and rarely develop anosmia because the olfactory system has diffuse and bilateral pathways meaning that the sensory information is processed in multiple areas across both hemispheres.A typical stroke,which affects only one localized area,is unlikely to disrupt all these pathways simultaneously.

                 Having said that,a number of stroke victims do experience changes to their sense of smell and taste and some stroke victims experience  parosmia.