31 P‐{ 1 H} echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging of the human brain in vivo

Echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) is one of the fastest spectroscopic imaging (SI) methods. It has been applied to 1 H MR spectroscopy (MRS) studies of the human brain in vivo. However, to our knowledge, EPSI with detection of the 31 P nucleus to monitor phosphorus‐containing neurometabolites has not yet been considered. In this work, eight different 31 P‐{ 1 H} EPSI sequence versions with spectral widths ranging from 313 Hz to 2.27 kHz were implemented on a clinical 1.5T whole‐body MR tomograph. The sequence versions utilized the heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) for 31 P signal enhancement. The sensitivity observed in experiments with model solutions was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. In vivo measurements performed on healthy volunteers ( N = 16) demonstrated the feasibility of performing two‐dimensional (2D) 31 P‐{ 1 H} EPSI in the human brain, and the technique enabled fast acquisition of well‐resolved localized spectra. Magn Reson Med 57:784–790, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.