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Quantitative brain proton MR spectroscopy based on measurement of the relaxation time T 1 of water
Author(s) -
Bajzik Gábor,
Auer Tibor,
Bogner Péter,
Aradi Miklós,
Kotek Gyula,
Repa Imre,
Doczi Tamas,
Schwarcz Attila
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.21192
Subject(s) - metabolite , creatine , choline , chemistry , in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy , t2 relaxation , calibration , nuclear magnetic resonance , spectroscopy , white matter , analytical chemistry (journal) , chromatography , physics , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , radiology , biochemistry , quantum mechanics
Purpose To provide a straightforward method for metabolite quantitation in the brain. Tissue water concentration can be determined in a voxel by measuring T 1 and it may provide an internal reference for the calculation of the metabolite concentrations. Materials and Methods Water‐suppressed stimulated echo acquisition mode spectra were obtained at 1.5T, and the tissue water content was calculated from T 1 . Results The calculated water content values demonstrated very good agreement with literature data. Metabolite concentrations (mmol/liter) in the gray and white matter: N‐acetyl‐aspartate = 14.02 ± 1.93, creatine = 9.98 ± 1.03, and choline = 1.14 ± 0.24; N‐acetyl‐aspartate = 11.08 ± 2.24, creatine = 7.83 ± 0.66, and choline = 2.05 ± 0.38, respectively. Conclusion The water content calculated from T 1 can yield an internal reference in MR spectroscopy, and the accurate measurement of metabolite concentrations is feasible. The proposed method is simple and can readily be applied in any MR center without the need for complicated corrections or calibration procedures. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;28:34–38. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.