Mouse Study Suggests Nose-Picking Has a Surprising Link With Alzheimer’s

A study published in 2022 found a weak but plausible link between picking your nose and an increased risk of developing dementia.

Where picking your nose causes internal tissue damage, critical types of bacteria have a clearer path to the brain and respond to their presence in ways that resemble signs of danger. Alzheimer’s illness.

There are plenty of caveats here; Not the least of which is that the supporting research so far has been done on mice rather than humans; But the findings are certainly worthy of further study and could improve our understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease, which remains a mystery, begins.

Related: Simple New Compound Reverses Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Rats

A research team led by scientists from Griffith University in Australia conducted tests with a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniaecan be transmitted to humans and cause lung inflammation.

pneumoniae to have also discovered in most human brains affected by late-onset dementia.

The video below includes a summary of the study’s findings:

It has been shown that in mice bacteria can travel towards the olfactory nerve (which connects the nasal cavity to the brain).

What’s more, nerve infections were made worse when damage occurred to the nasal epithelium (the thin tissue that lines the roof of the nasal cavity).

This led the mouse brains to accumulate more of the amyloid-beta protein, a protein released in response to infections.

Plaques (or clusters) of this protein are also found in significant concentrations. people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are the first to show this” Chlamydia pneumoniae “It can travel directly from the nose to the brain, where it can trigger pathologies that resemble Alzheimer’s disease.” said neuroscientist James St John from Griffith University in Australia, when the study is published in October 2022.

“We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially frightening for humans as well.”

Scientists were surprised by this speed pneumoniae settled in the central nervous system of mice, and infection occurred within 24 to 72 hours. bacteria and viruses Think of the nose as a fast track to the brain.

Although it is not certain that the effects will be the same in humans or even Amyloid-beta plaques are a cause of Alzheimer’sHowever, it is important to follow promising leads in the fight to understand this common neurodegenerative condition.

“We need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway works in the same way.” said St. John.

“This is research that has been suggested by many people but has not yet been completed. What we know is that the same bacteria are present in humans, but we haven’t yet figured out how they get there.”

Related: Nasal Spray May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease, Study in Mice Suggests

Nose picking is not uncommon. Actually it is possible About 9 out of 10 people do… not to mention many other genres (some are a little more skillful from others).

Although the benefits are unclear, studies like this should give us pause before making a choice.

Future studies on the same processes in humans are planned; But until then, St John and colleagues suggest that picking your nose and pulling out your nose hairs is “not a good idea” because of the potential damage it could do to protective nasal tissue.

“We don’t want to damage the inside of our nose, and picking and picking can do that.” warned St John.

“If you damage the nasal lining, you can increase how many bacteria can get into your brain.”

One of the important questions the team will try to answer is whether increased amyloid-beta protein deposits are a natural, healthy immune response that can be reversed when the infection is fought.

A review in 2024 further refined the hypothesis He said nose picking may play a role in increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and could provide more insight into how the process might develop.

Related: The Cause of Alzheimer’s May Be Coming to Your Mouth

Alzheimer’s is an incredibly complex disease, lots of studies into it and many different angles Scientists are trying to understand this, but each study brings us closer to finding a way to stop it.

“Once you get over 65, your risk factor increases rapidly, but we’re also looking at other causes, because it’s not just age, it’s also environmental exposure.” said St. John.

“And we think bacteria and viruses are critical.”

The research was published on: Scientific Reports.

An earlier version of this article was published in November 2022.

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