SECOND by second changes in the brain’s pH can be visualised for the first time. This ability may provide fresh insights into learning, memory and disease. Oxygen deprivation can alter the brain’s pH, and even normal brain signals from acidic neurotransmitters or metabolic by-products such as lactic acid may lead to local changes in pH. Studies in mice have also uncovered pH-sensitive receptors in brain areas involved in emotion and memory - although their function is something of a mystery.
