Bacteria can travel through the olfactory nerve in the nose and into the brain in mice, where it creates markers that are a tell-tale sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Picking can damage the lining of your nose, increasing the number of bacteria that can go up into your brain.
The olfactory nerve in the nose is directly exposed to air and offers a short pathway to the brain, one which bypasses the blood-brain barrier. It’s a route that bacteria and viruses have sniffed out as an easy one into the brain. The team at the Center is already planning the next phase of research and aims to prove the same pathway exists in humans.
There are some simple steps to look after the lining of your nose that Professor St John suggests people can take now if they want to lower their risk of potentially developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.“We don’t want to damage the inside of our nose and picking and plucking can do that.