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Sensitivity‐enhanced 13 C MR spectroscopy of the human brain at 3 Tesla
Author(s) -
Klomp D.W.J.,
Renema W.K.J.,
van der Graaf M.,
de Galan B.E.,
Kentgens A.P.M.,
Heerschap A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.20745
Subject(s) - nuclear magnetic resonance , electromagnetic coil , radiofrequency coil , physics , specific absorption rate , sensitivity (control systems) , electronic engineering , computer science , telecommunications , quantum mechanics , antenna (radio) , engineering
A new coil design for sensitivity‐enhanced 13 C MR spectroscopy (MRS) of the human brain is presented. The design includes a quadrature transmit/receive head coil optimized for 13 C MR sensitivity. Loss‐less blocking circuits inside the coil conductors allow this coil to be used inside a homogeneous circularly polarized 1 H B 1 field for 1 H decoupled 13 C MRS. A quadrature 1 H birdcage coil optimized for minimal local RF heating makes broadband 1 H decoupling in the entire human brain possible at 3 Tesla while remaining well within international safety guidelines for RF absorption. Apart from a substantial increase in sensitivity compared to conventional small linear coils, the quadrature 13 C coil combined with the quadrature 1 H birdcage coil allows efficient cross polarization (CP) in the brain, resulting in an additional 3.5‐fold sensitivity improvement compared to direct 13 C measurements without nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) or polarization transfer. Combined with the gain in power efficiency, this setup allows broadband 1 H to 13 C CP over large areas of the brain. Clear 13 C resonances from glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), aspartate (Asp), lactate (Lac), and γ‐aminobutyrate (GABA) carbon spins in the human brain demonstrate the quality of 13 C MR spectra obtained in vivo with this coil setup. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.