According to University of Iowa researchers Vincent A. Magnotta and colleagues, any neuroscientist with an MRI scanner could soon be able to measure the acidity (pH) of the human brain in great detail: Detecting activity-evoked pH changes in human brain.
If it works out, it would open up a whole new dimension of neuroimaging - and might be able to answer some of the biggest questions in the field.
The method relies on measuring T1 relaxation in the rotating frame (T1?). Essentially, it's about the rate at which protons are swapped between water molecules and proteins. That rate is known to depend on pH.
