A new study has revealed a link between picking your nose and increasing the risk of developing dementia(痴呆).
In cases where picking at your nose damages internal tissues, critical species of bacteria have a clearer path to the brain, which responds to their presence in ways that resemble signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
A team of researchers led by scientists from Griffith University in Australia ran tests with a bacteria called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can infect humans and cause pneumonia(肺炎). The bacteria have also been discovered in the majority of human brains affected by dementia. It was demonstrated that in mice, the bacteria could travel up the olfactory(嗅觉的) nerve to the brain. When there was damage to the thin tissue along the roof of the nasal cavity, nerve infections got worse. This led to the mouse brains depositing(沉积) more of amyloid β-protein(β-淀粉样蛋白), which is released in response to infections. This protein is also found in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
“We’re the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies(病状) that look like Alzheimer’s disease,” says neuroscientist James St John from Griffith University in Australia. “We saw this happen in a mouse model.”
“We need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway operates in the same way,” says St John. “It’s research that has been proposed by many people, but not yet completed. What we do know is that these same bacteria are present in humans, but we haven’t worked out how they get there.”
Nose picking isn’t exactly a rare thing. In fact, it’s possible as many as 9 out of 10 people do it. While the benefits aren’t clear, studies like this one should give us pause before picking.
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