Researchers at Griffith University in Brisbane demonstrated a bacteria can travel through the olfactory nerve in the nose and into the brain in mice, leading to a greater possibility of Alzheimer’s. .“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 that look like Alzheimer’s disease,” said James St John, head of Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research in a press release. .“We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.”.The study, published in Scientific Reports, said chlamydia pneumoniae used the nerve extending between the nasal cavity and the brain as an invasion path to enter the central nervous system. It said brain cells responded by depositing amyloid beta protein, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. .The olfactory nerve in the nose is exposed to air and offers a short pathway to the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier. It is a route viruses and bacteria have used to go into the brain. .The team at the Clem Jones Centre is planning the next phase of the research and aims to prove the same pathway exists in people. .St John said researchers “need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway operates in the same way.” What people do know is the same bacteria are present inside them, but it has not been determined how it enters. .The study said there are simple steps people can take to look after their noses if they want to lower their risks for Alzheimer’s. He advised people against picking their noses and plucking hairs from them. .St John said smell tests have potential as detectors for Alzheimer’s and dementia, as loss of smell is an early indicator. He suggested smell tests from when a person turns 60 years old could be beneficial as an early detector. .He said people “don’t want to damage the inside of our nose and picking and plucking can do that.”.“If you damage the lining of the nose, you can increase how many bacteria can go up into your brain,” he said.
