Nose Picking May Increase Dementia Risk

警惕！研究发现：挖鼻孔或增加患痴呆症风险

A mouse study suggests an especially disgusting risk factor for dementia: nose picking.

一项针对老鼠的研究发现，挖鼻孔是导致痴呆症的一个风险因素。

Digging around in the nasal passage sends a bacteria known as Chlamydia pneumoniae up through the nasal passage and into the brain where it then attacks the central nervous system, according to the recent study, published in the journal, Scientific Reports. Once in the brain, the bacteria stimulates the deposit of amyloid beta protein thought to be a hallmark of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

这项最新研究发布在《科学报告》杂志。研究显示，挖鼻孔可使肺炎衣原体通过鼻腔进入大脑，攻击中枢神经系统。肺炎衣原体一旦进入大脑，会促进β淀粉样蛋白的沉积，这是痴呆症和阿尔茨海默症的标志。

“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,” Professor James St John, Head of the Clem Jones Center for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, told SciTechDaily.com. “We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.”

克莱姆·琼斯神经生物学和干细胞研究中心负责人詹姆斯·圣约翰教授告诉SciTechDaily.com网站：“我们的研究首次证明，肺炎衣原体可以直接通过鼻子进入大脑，并在大脑引发类似阿尔茨海默病的病变。我们在小鼠实验中看到了这种情况，这一证据对人类来说也需警惕。”

The team plans further study to see if the same pathways do in fact, exist in humans, St John added. If the relationship holds, St. John said it might suggest that memory loss might be modified by limiting nose picking and playing with nose hairs, as well as other lifestyle factors.

他还表示，研究团队已经在计划下一阶段的研究，旨在证明人类也存在同样的通路。如果这种方式成立，这可能表明，通过避免挖鼻子和拔鼻毛等生活习惯，可以改善记忆力下降的情况。

Studies already show an intriguing connection between the brain and nose. A decline in a person’s sense of smell over time can foretell structural changes in regions of the brain important in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

已有研究证实，大脑和鼻子之间存在一种有趣的关联。随着时间的推移，一个人嗅觉下降可以预示大脑中与阿尔茨海默症和痴呆症相关区域的结构变化。

来源：SciTechDaily.com

编辑：董静

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