Mouse Study Suggests Nose-Picking Has a Surprising Link With Alzheimer's
ScienceAlert••health
Key Points:
- A 2022 study led by Griffith University researchers found a possible link between nose picking, nasal tissue damage, and increased risk of dementia, based on experiments with mice infected by the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae.
- The bacteria were shown to travel from the nasal cavity to the brain via the olfactory nerve, triggering amyloid-beta protein deposits in mouse brains, which resemble pathological features of Alzheimer's disease.
- While the findings are preliminary and based on animal models, the presence of C. pneumoniae in human brains affected by late-onset dementia suggests the need for further research in humans to confirm these pathways.
- Researchers caution against nose picking and nose hair plucking due to potential damage to nasal tissues that could facilitate bacterial entry to the brain
