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Origins of the ultrashort‐ T 2 1 H NMR signals in myelinated nerve: A direct measure of myelin content?
Author(s) -
Horch R. Adam,
Gore John C.,
Does Mark D.
Publication year - 2011
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.22980
Subject(s) - myelin , nuclear magnetic resonance , chemistry , myelin sheath , methylene , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , physics , central nervous system , biology , neuroscience , organic chemistry
Recently developed MRI techniques have enabled clinical imaging of short‐lived 1 H NMR signals with T 2 < 1 ms. Using these techniques, novel signal enhancement has been observed in myelinated tissues, although the source of this enhancement has not been identified. Herein, we report studies of the nature and origins of ultrashort T 2 (u T 2 ) signals (50 μs < T 2 < 1 ms) from amphibian and mammalian myelinated nerves. NMR measurements and comparisons with myelin phantoms and expected myelin components indicate that these u T 2 signals arise predominantly from methylene 1 H on/in the myelin membranes, which suggests that direct measurement of u T 2 signals can be used as a new means for quantitative myelin mapping. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.