Research is hopeful, but more is needed (Image: Getty)
Hopeful research suggests that Alzheimer’s may begin in the nose, with Alzheimer’s Research UK – a leading charity – noting that the olfactory system can reveal far more about our health than many realise. More recently, Celebrity Traitors star and mathematician Hannah Fry also floated the idea that the nose could offer crucial clues to understanding the disease.
She said in an Instagram video: “One of the few areas where [the brain] has a connection to the outside is through your nose.” Professor Fry explained: “A group of scientists took a bunch of mice, and then they squirted chlamydia up their noses.
“It was chlamydia pneumonia. Which is a sort of bacterial cousin of the one that gives you an STI.
“To their surprise, within 72 hours, these mice who just had something put into their nose had an infection that travelled up into their brains that had then triggered the same kind of inflammatory response and plaques that you see in brains that are riddled with Alzheimer’s.”
She pointed to a similar study comparing stray dogs in Mexico’s polluted cities with those in rural areas. Researchers discovered tiny metal particles in the city dogs, thought to have come from vehicle emissions.
Those fragments were “surrounded again by the same plaques, same inflammatory responses that you end up seeing in Alzheimer’s.”
It’s important to remember that a link between two things doesn’t necessarily mean that one is linked to the other.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that progressively damages the brain, eventually leading to dementia and problems with memory and thinking. It’s the most common cause of dementia. Emma Taylor, Senior Information Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, says the nose may actually hold clues that could help us better understand the disease and while some research is hopeful, more research is needed.
Could the nose and brain be linked to dementia?
Emma explained: “Possibly. Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the link between the nose and the brain.
“We know that changes in a person’s sense of smell can happen years before symptoms of some diseases that cause dementia appear. Scientists are also investigating whether factors such as air pollution, inflammation and infections could affect brain health through the nose.”
Does dementia start in the nose?
While the idea is intriguing to many, including scientists and the wider public, further research is needed. Emma added: “It’s an intriguing idea, but we don’t know enough yet to say that’s the case.
“Changes in a person’s sense of smell can happen years before symptoms of some diseases that cause dementia appear. Researchers are exploring whether this means the nose is simply an early warning sign, or whether it could be involved in some of the earliest stages of disease.”
She stressed: “For now, the evidence isn’t strong enough to say that dementia begins in the nose.”
Could the nose be the key to treatments, a cure or diagnosing dementia one day?
While there is no cure, there is hope that the nose could hold the key to more answers. Emma concluded: “Because of the close connection between the nose and the brain, researchers are exploring whether smell tests, nasal samples or medicines delivered through the nose could help diagnose or treat diseases that cause dementia.
“While these approaches show promise, more research is needed before they become part of routine care.”
What are the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
The disease can affect people in different ways. In most cases, it begins in and around the part of the brain responsible for memory. But in rarer forms of dementia, it starts elsewhere, causing a different set of symptoms — a condition known as “atypical Alzheimer’s.”
The most common early symptoms include:
- Language problems
- Changes in mood
- Changes to how they see and hear things
- Thinking and reasoning difficulties
- Memory problems
Alzheimers.gov warns that a “loss of smell (known as anosmia) is a key early sign of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment” and may be an early sign that appears before diagnosis.
Alzheminer’s Support
- Alzheminer’s Society Dementia Support Line – 0333 150 3456
- Alzheminer’s Society Dementia Support Forum – Join the forum
- The Dementia Research – 0300 111 5111
- Admiral Nurses – 0800 888 6678
- Alzheimer’s Society – 0333 150 3456
- Alzheimer Scotland – 0808 808 3000
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
