Can simple nose picking lead to serious diseases like Alzheimer’s? This is only a hypothesis at the moment, but as more evidence accumulates, scientists are taking it seriously. An Australian study published on October 24, 2023 explains how bacteria and viruses from your fingertip can travel through the nasal passages to attack your brain.
The nose is more than a gateway, it is the highway to the brain. The roof of the nasal cavity provides a direct pathway to certain areas of the brain closely associated with memory and spatial awareness, such as the hippocampus. Alzheimer’s disease wreaks havoc in these same areas of the brain.
Science Alert reports that until now, scientists believed that the key factors in the development of Alzheimer’s were the conversion of beta-amyloid peptides (a protein that, under certain circumstances, is harmful to the central nervous system) and tau protein. . Now, neuroinflammation has been added to the list of possible factors. The latter can “Plays at least a partial role in pathogenesis (in the development of Alzheimer’s)”Researchers write.
As they note, picking your nose has already been associated with an increased risk of infection on several occasions: a study published in August 2023 significantly demonstrated a link between this bad habit and the risk of contracting Covid-19. In addition, previous studies have also shown that Alzheimer’s disease symptoms often occur in the olfactory bulb, the area of the brain that detects smells.
Lessons to learn
There are two ways in which nose picking – or rhinotillexomania, as the scientific term is – can indirectly lead to inflammation of the brain. First, this bad habit involves removing what is hidden in the nasal cavity. In some cases, this can affect the balance of the nasal microbiota, making it less effective at keeping out intruders. Then, by picking your nose, you bring not only the finger, but also and most importantly all the pathogens that it carries. This is where your finger becomes a springboard for your brain.
Although clear and definitive conclusions about the causes of Alzheimer’s are still far away, these advances in understanding this complex disease are encouraging. Scientists also argue that their study opens the door “New Ways of Prevention”. According to him, there is a lesson to be learned from this Covid-19 crisis: good hand hygiene is a simple and accessible preventive measure in the face of the dangers of the virus, whatever it may be.
