Increasing acidity in the brain's emotional control center reduces anxiety, according to an animal study. Anxiety disorders, which are characterized by an inability to control feelings of fear and uncertainty, are the most prevalent group of psychiatric diseases. At the cellular level, these disorders are associated with heightened activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), which is known to play a central role in emotional behavior. Many cells in the BLA possess acid-sensing ion channels called ASIC1a, which respond to pH changes in the environment outside of the cell. Researchers have found that activating ASIC1a decreased the activity of nearby cells and reduced anxiety-like behavior in animals