Alzheimer’s affects many people as they get older. A new study from Australia now links the disease to nose picking.
Griffith – Picking your finger in your nose might prove to be more than just an unsavory habit: one Study by researchers at Griffith University (Australia) found in experiments with mice that a bacterium can migrate from the nose to the brain via the olfactory nerve. There it left traces “which are a telltale sign for the Alzheimer-disease”, as stated in a statement from the university. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The bacterium is Chlamydia pneumoniae. The pathogen is very common and transmitted through the air. Infections often remain without symptoms or cause a slight sore throat, but they can also lead to pneumonia in people with a weakened immune system.
Alzheimer’s study: Bacteria enter the brain via nerves
The experiments revealed that the bacterium used the olfactory nerve, which stretches between the nasal cavity and the brain, as an invasion route to enter the central nervous system. The cells in the brain responded to the invader by depositing amyloid beta protein. Deposits of this protein are the main component of the plaques that are so typical of dementia (which can also be present in healthy older people).
“We are the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly to the nose and brain, where it can trigger pathologies that resemble Alzheimer’s,” said James St. John, director of the Clem Jones Center for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research of Griffith University quoted in the statement: “We have seen this in a mouse model, and the evidence may also be frightening for humans.” In a next step, the researchers want to prove that the same process takes place in humans.
A trick once morest Alzheimer’s: don’t pluck your nose hair
The olfactory nerve in the nose is constantly exposed to the air and provides a short route to the brain that bypasses the blood-brain barrier as a barrier. Pathogens can also get into the brain in this way. Effects on the brain are also being discussed for the corona virus, and Alzheimer’s was also discussed here as a possible late consequence of an infection.
James St. John explains that picking your nose and picking hair out of your nose increases the risk of pathogens entering the brain via the olfactory nerve. Because the mucous membrane on the inside of the nose is damaged by popping and pulling. “That’s not a good idea.” The neurobiologist also points out that a deterioration in the sense of smell can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s. For this reason, he sees smell tests for people over 60 as useful. (Pamela Dörhöfer)
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