Nose-picking is a very common behavior.
However, studies show that when people pick their noses, they may also allow a type of bacteria to invade their brain, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Can Nose Picking Increase the Risk of Dementia?
A study by Griffith University in Australia found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the brain through the olfactory nerves in the nose of mice, causing amyloid-beta accumulations in the brain, which is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. [1]
Under normal circumstances, the brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier, and it is difficult for general macromolecules to enter the brain. However, the olfactory nerve opens an entrance, which becomes a shortcut for bacteria to enter the brain. The researchers implanted Chlamydia pneumoniae into the nasal cavity of some mice and found that regardless of whether the mice had nasal cavity damage or not, the amyloid-beta accumulations caused by chlamydia pneumoniae were found in their brain slices….