Brain chemistry basics

Our brains are massively complicated – and so too are the biggest biochemical issues affecting them. Here we look to simplify the big open questions in neurochemistry and fuel your curiosity about three critical areas: Alzheimer’s disease, arguably the most feared ageing-related disorder; pain, one of the poorest-understood biochemical processes involving the nervous system; and memory, including the recent discovery of a new chemical process involved in storing information. This explainer will look at the current understanding, the unanswered questions, the techniques and chemistry involved, as well as future prospects.