PH regulation in non-neuronal brain cells and interstitial fluid

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the mechanisms, by which non-neuronal cells, such as Glia, regulate both pHi and pHECF. It examines some of the basic principles of cellular pH regulation. The chapter evaluates the relationship between pH and neuronal activity, and the involvement of glial cells. It describes the cellular and molecular physiology of the specific acid–base transport mechanisms identified in glia. These mechanisms include three of the most powerful acid–base transporters glia used to regulate pHi and pHECF: the Na-H exchanger, the Na/HCO3 cotransporter, and the Cl–HCO3 exchanger. The chapter discusses that pH regulation in brain is important, because the changes in brain pH can influence neuronal activity, synaptic transmission, and possibly memory and learning. The pH of the cerebrospinal fluid bathing the brain is determined by the mechanisms that regulate intracellular pH (pHi) in the choroid plexus epithelium and capillary endothelium. The chapter also examines how some of the acid–base transporters found in the choroid plexus and the capillary endothelium contribute to the pH of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).