Beware of nose picking… A habit linked to a serious disease
A recent Australian study has revealed a connection between the habit of nose picking and the accumulation of proteins associated with the serious disease known as ‘brain theft.’
Researchers from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, suggest that nose picking may lead to damage to the protective internal tissues, making it easier for dangerous bacteria to reach the brain.
The Sun newspaper reported that the brain responds to this intrusion in a way that reflects the conditions resulting from the destructive Alzheimer’s disease, which gradually affects the functions of the brain and memory in those afflicted, becoming more dangerous over time.
During the study, the research team conducted tests on bacteria called Chlamydia pneumonia, a rare type of germ that can cause respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
They discovered these bacteria in the brains of late-onset dementia patients. Research conducted in 1998 also found these bacteria in 17 out of 19 brain samples evaluated.
At that time, scientists stated: ‘Some indirect evidence suggests that infection with a living organism may be linked to dementia.’
Now, researchers at Griffith University found that Chlamydia pneumonia bacteria ‘used the nerve extending between the nasal cavity and the brain as a path to invade the central nervous system,’ according to the research paper.
The researchers added that when there was damage to the delicate tissues lining the nose, called the nasal mucosa, nerve infections became more serious, according to the study published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports.’
Cells in the brains of mice responded to the bacteria by depositing more amyloid beta proteins, which are the ‘hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease.’
The Alzheimer’s Association states that a key element of this brain theft disease is the accumulation of plaques, which form when beta-amyloid proteins aggregate.
Co-author of the study and Director of the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, Professor James St John, said: ‘Chlamydia pneumonia can directly reach the nose and the brain, causing diseases similar to Alzheimer’s. We have seen this happening in the mouse model, and the evidence is likely to be frightening for humans as well.’
