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Madsen SS, Lindberg U, Asghar S, Olsen KS, Møller K, Larsson HBW, Vestergaard MB. Reproducibility of cerebral blood flow, oxygen metabolism, and lactate and N-acetyl-aspartate concentrations measured using magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1213352. [PMID: 37731542 PMCID: PMC10508186 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1213352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, resting cerebral perfusion, oxygen consumption and energy metabolism demonstrate large intersubject variation regardless of methodology. Whether a similar large variation is also present longitudinally in individual subjects is much less studied, but knowing the time variance in reproducibility is important when designing and interpreting longitudinal follow-up studies examining brain physiology. Therefore, we examined the reproducibility of cerebral blood flow (CBF), global cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), global arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference (A-V.O2), and cerebral lactate and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) concentrations measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) techniques through repeated measurements at 6 h, 24 h, 7 days and several weeks after initial baseline measurements in young healthy adults (N = 26, 13 females, age range 18-35 years). Using this setup, we calculated the correlation, limit of agreement (LoA) and within-subject coefficient of variation (CoVWS) between baseline values and the subsequent repeated measurements to examine the longitudinal variation in individual cerebral physiology. CBF and CMRO2 correlated significantly between baseline and all subsequent measurements. The strength of the correlations (R2) and reproducibility metrics (LoA and CoVWS) demonstrated the best reproducibility for the within-day measurements and generally declined with longer time between measurements. Cerebral lactate and NAA concentrations also correlated significantly for all measurements, except between baseline and the 7-day measurement for lactate. Similar to CBF and CMRO2, lactate and NAA demonstrated the best reproducibility for within-day repeated measurements. The gradual decline in reproducibility over time should be considered when designing and interpreting studies on brain physiology, for example, in the evaluation of treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Signe Sloth Madsen
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain and Respiratory Support, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Ulrich Lindberg
- Functional Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sohail Asghar
- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karsten Skovgaard Olsen
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain and Respiratory Support, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Kirsten Møller
- Department of Neuroanaesthesiology, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital–Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Bo Wiberg Larsson
- Functional Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mark Bitsch Vestergaard
- Functional Imaging Unit, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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2
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Zimmermann J, Zölch N, Coray R, Bavato F, Friedli N, Baumgartner MR, Steuer AE, Opitz A, Werner A, Oeltzschner G, Seifritz E, Stock AK, Beste C, Cole DM, Quednow BB. Chronic 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) Use Is Related to Glutamate and GABA Concentrations in the Striatum But Not the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2023; 26:438-450. [PMID: 37235749 PMCID: PMC10289146 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyad023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely used recreational substance inducing acute release of serotonin. Previous studies in chronic MDMA users demonstrated selective adaptations in the serotonin system, which were assumed to be associated with cognitive deficits. However, serotonin functions are strongly entangled with glutamate as well as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission, and studies in MDMA-exposed rats show long-term adaptations in glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling. METHODS We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure the glutamate-glutamine complex (GLX) and GABA concentrations in the left striatum and medial anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of 44 chronic but recently abstinent MDMA users and 42 MDMA-naïve healthy controls. While the Mescher-Garwood point-resolved-spectroscopy sequence (MEGA-PRESS) is best suited to quantify GABA, recent studies reported poor agreement between conventional short-echo-time PRESS and MEGA-PRESS for GLX measures. Here, we applied both sequences to assess their agreement and potential confounders underlying the diverging results. RESULTS Chronic MDMA users showed elevated GLX levels in the striatum but not the ACC. Regarding GABA, we found no group difference in either region, although a negative association with MDMA use frequency was observed in the striatum. Overall, GLX measures from MEGA-PRESS, with its longer echo time, appeared to be less confounded by macromolecule signal than the short-echo-time PRESS and thus provided more robust results. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that MDMA use affects not only serotonin but also striatal GLX and GABA concentrations. These insights may offer new mechanistic explanations for cognitive deficits (e.g., impaired impulse control) observed in MDMA users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josua Zimmermann
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus Zölch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca Coray
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Bavato
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Friedli
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Markus R Baumgartner
- Center for Forensic Hair Analytics, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea E Steuer
- Department of Forensic Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antje Opitz
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annett Werner
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich (Drs Zölch and Seifritz), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, School of Science, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - David M Cole
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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3
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Gogishvili A, Farrher E, Doppler CEJ, Seger A, Sommerauer M, Shah NJ. Quantification of the neurochemical profile of the human putamen using STEAM MRS in a cohort of elderly subjects at 3 T and 7 T: Ruminations on the correction strategy for the tissue voxel composition. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286633. [PMID: 37267283 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this work is to quantify the metabolic profile of the human putamen in vivo in a cohort of elderly subjects using single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. To obtain metabolite concentrations specific to the putamen, we investigated a correction method previously proposed to account for the tissue composition of the volume of interest. We compared the method with the conventional approach, which a priori assumes equal metabolite concentrations in GM and WM. Finally, we compared the concentrations acquired at 3 Tesla (T) and 7 T MRI scanners. Spectra were acquired from 15 subjects (age: 67.7 ± 8.3 years) at 3 T and 7 T, using an ultra-short echo time, stimulated echo acquisition mode sequence. To robustly estimate the WM-to-GM metabolite concentration ratio, five additional subjects were measured for whom the MRS voxel was deliberately shifted from the putamen in order to increase the covered amount of surrounding WM. The concentration and WM-to-GM concentration ratio for 16 metabolites were reliably estimated. These ratios ranged from ~0.3 for γ-aminobutyric acid to ~4 for N-acetylaspartylglutamate. The investigated correction method led to significant changes in concentrations compared to the conventional method, provided that the ratio significantly differed from unity. Finally, we demonstrated that differences in tissue voxel composition cannot fully account for the observed concentration difference between field strengths. We provide not only a fully comprehensive quantification of the neurochemical profile of the putamen in elderly subjects, but also a quantification of the WM-to-GM concentration ratio. This knowledge may serve as a basis for future studies with varying tissue voxel composition, either due to tissue atrophy, inconsistent voxel positioning or simply when pooling data from different voxel locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gogishvili
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Engineering Physics Department, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Ezequiel Farrher
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Christopher E J Doppler
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 3, INM-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Aline Seger
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 3, INM-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Sommerauer
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 3, INM-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - N Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, INM-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 11, INM-11, JARA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- JARA - BRAIN - Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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4
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Ziegs T, Wright AM, Henning A. Test-retest reproducibility of human brain multi-slice 1 H FID-MRSI data at 9.4T after optimization of lipid regularization, macromolecular model, and spline baseline stiffness. Magn Reson Med 2022; 89:11-28. [PMID: 36128885 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study analyzes the effects of retrospective lipid suppression, a simulated macromolecular prior knowledge and different spline baseline stiffness values on 9.4T multi-slice proton FID-MRSI data spanning the whole cerebrum of human brain and the reproducibility of respective metabolite ratio to total creatine (/tCr) maps for 10 brain metabolites. METHODS Measurements were performed twice on 5 volunteers using a short TR and TE FID MRSI 2D sequence at 9.4T. The effects of retrospective lipid L2-regularization, macromolecular spectrum and different LCModel baseline flexibilities on SNR, FWHM, fitting residual, Cramér-Rao lower bound, and metabolite ratio maps were investigated. Intra-subject, inter-session coefficient of variation and the test-retest reproducibility of the mean metabolite ratios (/tCr) of each slice was calculated. RESULTS Transversal, sagittal, and coronal slices of many metabolite ratio maps correspond to the anatomically expected concentration relations in gray and white matter for the majority of the cerebrum when using a flexible baseline in LCModel fit. Results from the second measurements of the same subjects show that slice positioning and data quality correlate significantly to the first measurement. L2-regularization provided effective suppression of lipid-artifacts, but should be avoided if no artifacts are detected. CONCLUSION Reproducible concentration ratio maps (/tCr) for 4 metabolites (total choline, N-acetylaspartate, glutamate, and myoinositol) spanning the majority of the cerebrum and 6 metabolites (N-acetylaspartylglutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, glutathione, taurine, glutamine, and aspartate) covering 32 mm in the upper part of the brain were acquired at 9.4T using multi-slice FID MRSI with retrospective lipid suppression, a macromolecular spectrum and a flexible LCModel baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresia Ziegs
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,IMPRS for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrew Martin Wright
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,IMPRS for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anke Henning
- High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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5
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Okada T, Fujimoto K, Fushimi Y, Akasaka T, Thuy DHD, Shima A, Sawamoto N, Oishi N, Zhang Z, Funaki T, Nakamoto Y, Murai T, Miyamoto S, Takahashi R, Isa T. Neuroimaging at 7 Tesla: a pictorial narrative review. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2022; 12:3406-3435. [PMID: 35655840 PMCID: PMC9131333 DOI: 10.21037/qims-21-969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging using the 7-Tesla (7T) human magnetic resonance (MR) system is rapidly gaining popularity after being approved for clinical use in the European Union and the USA. This trend is the same for functional MR imaging (MRI). The primary advantages of 7T over lower magnetic fields are its higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, which provide high-resolution acquisitions and better contrast, making it easier to detect lesions and structural changes in brain disorders. Another advantage is the capability to measure a greater number of neurochemicals by virtue of the increased spectral resolution. Many structural and functional studies using 7T have been conducted to visualize details in the white matter and layers of the cortex and hippocampus, the subnucleus or regions of the putamen, the globus pallidus, thalamus and substantia nigra, and in small structures, such as the subthalamic nucleus, habenula, perforating arteries, and the perivascular space, that are difficult to observe at lower magnetic field strengths. The target disorders for 7T neuroimaging range from tumoral diseases to vascular, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. MR spectroscopy has also been used for research because of its increased chemical shift that separates overlapping peaks and resolves neurochemicals more effectively at 7T than a lower magnetic field. This paper presents a narrative review of these topics and an illustrative presentation of images obtained at 7T. We expect 7T neuroimaging to provide a new imaging biomarker of various brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohisa Okada
- Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Koji Fujimoto
- Department of Real World Data Research and Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Fushimi
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Thai Akasaka
- Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Dinh H. D. Thuy
- Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Atsushi Shima
- Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nobukatsu Sawamoto
- Department of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Naoya Oishi
- Medial Innovation Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Zhilin Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takeshi Funaki
- Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuji Nakamoto
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshiya Murai
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Susumu Miyamoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tadashi Isa
- Human Brain Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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6
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Reid MA, Forloines MR, Salibi N. Reproducibility of 7-T brain spectroscopy using an ultrashort echo time STimulated Echo Acquisition Mode sequence and automated voxel repositioning. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2022; 35:e4631. [PMID: 34622996 PMCID: PMC8862634 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Establishing the reproducibility of brain MRS is important for clinical studies so that researchers can evaluate changes in metabolites due to treatment or the course of a disease and better understand the brain in healthy and disordered states. Prior 7-T MRS reproducibility studies using the stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence have focused on the anterior cingulate cortex or posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of metabolite measurements in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using an ultrashort echo time (TE) STEAM sequence and automated voxel repositioning. Spectra were acquired during two scan sessions from nine subjects using the AutoAlign method for voxel repositioning. Reproducibility was evaluated with coefficients of variation (CVs) and percentage differences. The mean intrasubject CVs were less than 6% for the major metabolites glutamate, N-acetylaspartate, total creatine, total choline, and myo-inositol. The mean CVs were less than 20% for the smaller signals of GABA, glutamine, glutathione, and taurine. These results indicate that 7-T MRS using a STEAM sequence with ultrashort TE and automated voxel repositioning provides excellent reproducibility of metabolites in the DLPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith A. Reid
- MRI Research Center, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
- Alabama Advanced Imaging Consortium, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Martha R. Forloines
- Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
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7
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Finkelman T, Furman-Haran E, Paz R, Tal A. Quantifying the excitatory-inhibitory balance: A comparison of SemiLASER and MEGA-SemiLASER for simultaneously measuring GABA and glutamate at 7T. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118810. [PMID: 34906716 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of the excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) balance in a wide range of cognitive and behavioral processes has prompted a commensurate interest in methods for reliably quantifying it. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) remains the only method capable of safely and non-invasively measuring the concentrations of the brain's major excitatory (glutamate) and inhibitory (γ-aminobutyric-acid, GABA) neurotransmitters in-vivo. MRS relies on spectral Mescher-Garwood (MEGA) editing techniques at 3T to distinguish GABA from its overlapping resonances. However, with the increased spectral resolution at ultrahigh field strengths of 7T and above, non-edited spectroscopic techniques become potential viable alternatives to MEGA based approaches, and also address some of their shortcomings, such as signal loss, sensitivity to transmitter inhomogeneities and temporal resolution. We present a comprehensive comparison of both edited and non-edited strategies at 7T for simultaneously quantifying glutamate and GABA from the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and evaluate their reproducibility and relative bias. The combined root-mean-square test-retest reproducibility of Glu and GABA (CVE/I) was as low as 13.3% for unedited MRS at TE=80 ms using SemiLASER localization, while edited MRS at TE=80 ms yielded CVE/I=20% and 21% for asymmetric and symmetric MEGA editing, respectively. An unedited SemiLASER acquisition using a shorter echo time of TE=42 ms yielded CVE/I as low as 24.9%. Our results show that non-edited sequences at an echo time of 80 ms provide better reproducibility than either edited sequences at the same TE, or non-edited sequences at a shorter TE of 42 ms. This is supported by numerical simulations and is driven in part by a pseudo-singlet appearance of the GABA multiplets at TE=80 ms, and the excellent spectral resolution at 7T. Our results uphold a transition to non-edited MRS for monitoring the E/I balance at ultrahigh fields, and stress the importance of using a properly-optimized echo time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Finkelman
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzel St., Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Edna Furman-Haran
- Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rony Paz
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Assaf Tal
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzel St., Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
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8
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Riemann LT, Aigner CS, Ellison SLR, Brühl R, Mekle R, Schmitter S, Speck O, Rose G, Ittermann B, Fillmer A. Assessment of measurement precision in single-voxel spectroscopy at 7 T: Toward minimal detectable changes of metabolite concentrations in the human brain in vivo. Magn Reson Med 2021; 87:1119-1135. [PMID: 34783376 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To introduce a study design and statistical analysis framework to assess the repeatability, reproducibility, and minimal detectable changes (MDCs) of metabolite concentrations determined by in vivo MRS. METHODS An unbalanced nested study design was chosen to acquire in vivo MRS data within different repeatability and reproducibility scenarios. A spin-echo, full-intensity acquired localized (SPECIAL) sequence was employed at 7 T utlizing three different inversion pulses: a hyperbolic secant (HS), a gradient offset independent adiabaticity (GOIA), and a wideband, uniform rate, smooth truncation (WURST) pulse. Metabolite concentrations, Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) and coefficients of variation (CVs) were calculated. Both Bland-Altman analysis and a restricted maximum-likelihood estimation (REML) analysis were performed to estimate the different variance contributions of the repeatability and reproducibility of the measured concentration. A Bland-Altmann analysis of the spectral shape was performed to assess the variance of the spectral shape, independent of quantification model influences. RESULTS For the used setup, minimal detectable changes of brain metabolite concentrations were found to be between 0.40 µmol/g and 2.23 µmol/g. CRLBs account for only 16 % to 74 % of the total variance of the metabolite concentrations. The application of gradient-modulated inversion pulses in SPECIAL led to slightly improved repeatability, but overall reproducibility appeared to be limited by differences in positioning, calibration, and other day-to-day variations throughout different sessions. CONCLUSION A framework is introduced to estimate the precision of metabolite concentrations obtained by MRS in vivo, and the minimal detectable changes for 13 metabolite concentrations measured at 7 T using SPECIAL are obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rüdiger Brühl
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig und Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Mekle
- Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Oliver Speck
- Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Research Campus STIMULATE, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Georg Rose
- Research Campus STIMULATE, Magdeburg, Germany.,Institut für Medizintechnik, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Bernd Ittermann
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig und Berlin, Germany
| | - Ariane Fillmer
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig und Berlin, Germany
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9
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Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:574. [PMID: 34750350 PMCID: PMC8575795 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01706-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Psilocybin has shown promise for the treatment of mood disorders, which are often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction including cognitive rigidity. Recent studies have proposed neuropsychoplastogenic effects as mechanisms underlying the enduring therapeutic effects of psilocybin. In an open-label study of 24 patients with major depressive disorder, we tested the enduring effects of psilocybin therapy on cognitive flexibility (perseverative errors on a set-shifting task), neural flexibility (dynamics of functional connectivity or dFC via functional magnetic resonance imaging), and neurometabolite concentrations (via magnetic resonance spectroscopy) in brain regions supporting cognitive flexibility and implicated in acute psilocybin effects (e.g., the anterior cingulate cortex, or ACC). Psilocybin therapy increased cognitive flexibility for at least 4 weeks post-treatment, though these improvements were not correlated with the previously reported antidepressant effects. One week after psilocybin therapy, glutamate and N-acetylaspartate concentrations were decreased in the ACC, and dFC was increased between the ACC and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Surprisingly, greater increases in dFC between the ACC and PCC were associated with less improvement in cognitive flexibility after psilocybin therapy. Connectome-based predictive modeling demonstrated that baseline dFC emanating from the ACC predicted improvements in cognitive flexibility. In these models, greater baseline dFC was associated with better baseline cognitive flexibility but less improvement in cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest a nuanced relationship between cognitive and neural flexibility. Whereas some enduring increases in neural dynamics may allow for shifting out of a maladaptively rigid state, larger persisting increases in neural dynamics may be of less benefit to psilocybin therapy.
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10
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Wijtenburg SA, Wang M, Korenic SA, Chen S, Barker PB, Rowland LM. Metabolite Alterations in Adults With Schizophrenia, First Degree Relatives, and Healthy Controls: A Multi-Region 7T MRS Study. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:656459. [PMID: 34093272 PMCID: PMC8170030 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.656459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies in schizophrenia have shown altered GABAergic, glutamatergic, and bioenergetic pathways, but if these abnormalities are brain region or illness-stage specific is largely unknown. MRS at 7T MR enables reliable quantification of multiple metabolites, including GABA, glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln), from multiple brain regions within the time constraints of a clinical examination. In this study, GABA, Glu, Gln, the ratio Gln/Glu, and lactate (Lac) were quantified using 7T MRS in five brain regions in adults with schizophrenia (N = 40), first-degree relatives (N = 11), and healthy controls (N = 38). Metabolites were analyzed for differences between groups, as well as between subjects with schizophrenia with either short (<5 years, N = 19 or long (>5 years, N = 21) illness duration. For analyses between the three groups, there were significant glutamatergic and GABAergic differences observed in the anterior cingulate, centrum semiovale, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There were also significant relationships between anterior cingulate cortex, centrum semiovale, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cognitive measures. There were also significant glutamatergic, GABAergic, and lactate differences between subjects with long and short illness duration in the anterior cingulate, centrum semiovale, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Finally, negative symptom severity ratings were significantly correlated with both anterior cingulate and centrum semiovale metabolite levels. In summary, 7T MRS shows multi-region differences in GABAergic and glutamatergic metabolites between subjects with schizophrenia, first-degree relatives and healthy controls, suggesting relatively diffuse involvement that evolves with illness duration. Unmedicated first-degree relatives share some of the same metabolic characteristics as patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, suggesting that these differences may reflect a genetic vulnerability and are not solely due to the effects of antipsychotic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Andrea Wijtenburg
- Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Min Wang
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stephanie A Korenic
- Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shuo Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Peter B Barker
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,FM Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Laura M Rowland
- Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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11
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Gonen OM, Moffat BA, Kwan P, O'Brien TJ, Desmond PM, Lui E. Reproducibility of Glutamate, Glutathione, and GABA Measurements in vivo by Single-Voxel STEAM Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy at 7-Tesla in Healthy Individuals. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:566643. [PMID: 33041761 PMCID: PMC7522573 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.566643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose Derangements in brain glutamate, glutathione, and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) are implicated in a range of neurological disorders. Reliable methods to measure these compounds non-invasively in vivo are needed. We evaluated the reproducibility of their measurements in brain regions involved in the default mode network using quantitative MRS at 7-Tesla in healthy individuals. Methods Ten right-handed healthy volunteers underwent 7-Tesla MRI scans on 2 separate days, not more than 2 weeks apart. On each day two scanning sessions took place, with a re-positioning break in between. High-resolution isotropic anatomical scans were acquired prior to each scan, followed by single-voxel 1H-MRS using the STEAM pulse sequence on an 8 mL midline cubic voxel, positioned over the posterior cingulate and precuneus regions. Concentrations were corrected for partial-volume effects. Results Maximal Cramér-Rao lower bounds for glutamate, glutathione, and GABA were 2.0, 8.0, and 14.0%, respectively. Mean coefficients of variation within sessions were 5.9 ± 4.8%, 9.3 ± 7.6%, and 11.5 ± 8.8%, and between sessions were 4.6 ± 4.5%, 8.3 ± 5.7%, and 9.2 ± 8.7%, respectively. The mean (±SD) Dice’s coefficient for voxel overlap was 90 ± 4% within sessions and 86 ± 7% between sessions. Conclusion Glutamate, glutathione, and GABA can be reliably quantified using STEAM MRS at 7-Tesla from the posterior cingulate and precuneus cortices of healthy human subjects. STEAM MRS at 7-Tesla may be used to study the metabolic behavior of this important resting-state hub in various disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofer M Gonen
- Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bradford A Moffat
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Patrick Kwan
- Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Terence J O'Brien
- Department of Neurology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neurology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Patricia M Desmond
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Radiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Elaine Lui
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Radiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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12
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Kreis R, Boer V, Choi I, Cudalbu C, de Graaf RA, Gasparovic C, Heerschap A, Krššák M, Lanz B, Maudsley AA, Meyerspeer M, Near J, Öz G, Posse S, Slotboom J, Terpstra M, Tkáč I, Wilson M, Bogner W. Terminology and concepts for the characterization of in vivo MR spectroscopy methods and MR spectra: Background and experts' consensus recommendations. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2020; 34:e4347. [PMID: 32808407 PMCID: PMC7887137 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
With a 40-year history of use for in vivo studies, the terminology used to describe the methodology and results of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has grown substantially and is not consistent in many aspects. Given the platform offered by this special issue on advanced MRS methodology, the authors decided to describe many of the implicated terms, to pinpoint differences in their meanings and to suggest specific uses or definitions. This work covers terms used to describe all aspects of MRS, starting from the description of the MR signal and its theoretical basis to acquisition methods, processing and to quantification procedures, as well as terms involved in describing results, for example, those used with regard to aspects of quality, reproducibility or indications of error. The descriptions of the meanings of such terms emerge from the descriptions of the basic concepts involved in MRS methods and examinations. This paper also includes specific suggestions for future use of terms where multiple conventions have emerged or coexisted in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Kreis
- Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology, and Nuclear Medicine and Department of Biomedical ResearchUniversity BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Vincent Boer
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Funktions‐ og Billeddiagnostisk EnhedCopenhagen University Hospital HvidovreHvidovreDenmark
| | - In‐Young Choi
- Department of Neurology, Hoglund Brain Imaging CenterUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
| | - Cristina Cudalbu
- Centre d'Imagerie Biomedicale (CIBM)Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Robin A. de Graaf
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging & Department of Biomedical EngineeringYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | | | - Arend Heerschap
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear MedicineRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Martin Krššák
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine III & High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image guided TherapyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Bernard Lanz
- Laboratory of Functional and Metabolic Imaging (LIFMET)Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of MedicineUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Andrew A. Maudsley
- Department of Radiology, Miller School of MedicineUniversity of MiamiMiamiFloridaUSA
| | - Martin Meyerspeer
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
- High Field MR CenterMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Jamie Near
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute and Department of PsychiatryMcGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Gülin Öz
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of RadiologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesotaUSA
| | - Stefan Posse
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of New Mexico School of MedicineAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Johannes Slotboom
- Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology, and Nuclear MedicineUniversity Hospital BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Melissa Terpstra
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of RadiologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesotaUSA
| | - Ivan Tkáč
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of RadiologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesotaUSA
| | - Martin Wilson
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Wolfgang Bogner
- High Field MR Center, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image‐guided TherapyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
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13
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Heckova E, Považan M, Strasser B, Motyka S, Hangel G, Hingerl L, Moser P, Lipka A, Gruber S, Trattnig S, Bogner W. Effects of different macromolecular models on reproducibility of FID-MRSI at 7T. Magn Reson Med 2020; 83:12-21. [PMID: 31393037 PMCID: PMC6851974 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE A properly characterized macromolecular (MM) contribution is essential for accurate metabolite quantification in FID-MRSI. MM information can be included into the fitting model as a single component or parameterized and included over several individual MM resonances, which adds flexibility when pathologic changes are present but is prone to potential overfitting. This study investigates the effects of different MM models on MRSI reproducibility. METHODS Clinically feasible, high-resolution FID-MRSI data were collected in ~5 min at 7 Tesla from 10 healthy volunteers and quantified via LCModel (version 6.3) with 3 basis sets, each with a different approach for how the MM signal was handled: averaged measured whole spectrum (full MM), 9 parameterized components (param MM) with soft constraints to avoid overparameterization, or without any MM information included in the fitting prior knowledge. The test-retest reproducibility of MRSI scans was assessed voxel-wise using metabolite coefficients of variation and intraclass correlation coefficients and compared between the basis sets. Correlations of concentration estimates were investigated for the param MM fitting model. RESULTS The full MM model provided the most reproducible quantification of total NAA, total Cho, myo-inositol, and glutamate + glutamine ratios to total Cr (coefficients of variations ≤ 8%, intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.76). Using the param MM model resulted in slightly lower reproducibility (up to +3% higher coefficients of variations, up to -0.1 decreased intraclass correlation coefficients). The quantification of the parameterized macromolecules did not affect quantification of the overlapping metabolites. CONCLUSION Clinically feasible FID-MRSI with an experimentally acquired MM spectrum included in prior knowledge provides highly reproducible quantification for the most common neurometabolites in healthy volunteers. Parameterization of the MM spectrum may be preferred as a compromise between quantification accuracy and reproducibility when the MM content is expected to be pathologically altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Heckova
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michal Považan
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Bernhard Strasser
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stanislav Motyka
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gilbert Hangel
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Hingerl
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Moser
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Lipka
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephan Gruber
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Siegfried Trattnig
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Clinical Molecular MR Imaging, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Bogner
- High Field MR Centre, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Christian Doppler Laboratory for Clinical Molecular MR Imaging, Vienna, Austria
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