Researchers at Griffith University in Australia have found that bacteria can enter the brain through the nose. In particular, we are talking regarding chlamydia pneumoniae (This bacterium is one of the main causative agents of pneumonia in humans. — Approx. ed.). As it turned out, it is able to penetrate the nervous system, using the nerve between the nasal cavity and the brain. In response to this intervention, brain cells respond by depositing the protein beta-amyloid, which is considered the main culprit in the development of the most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease.
And although his study, the results of which were published in Scientific Reports, scientists conducted on mice, at the same time, they do not exclude that the same principle works in humans – this will be the subject of the next stage of research.
Now scientists are advising to give up some habits that can increase the risk of getting dementia in this way. There are two of them – the habit of picking your nose and the habit of plucking the hair growing there.
— Picking your nose and plucking your nose hair is a bad idea. If you damage the nasal mucosa, there is a risk that more bacteria can get into your brain.warned Professor James St. John, study co-author and head of the Clem Jones Center for Neuroscience and Stem Cell Research.
According to Professor St. John, there are other indicators that indicate the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. One of the key ones is the loss of smell. That is why, according to the expert, smell tests can be useful for people over 60 years old – they will show the ability to feel and distinguish between them.
When you turn 65, your risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases dramatically. But it’s not just regarding age – we’re looking at other causes as well, including environmental impacts. And we think that bacteria and viruses are crucial here,” concluded James St. John.