Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy with metabolite nulling reveals regional differences of macromolecules in normal human brain

✍ Scribed by Irina Mader; Uwe Seeger; Jochen Karitzky; Michael Erb; Fritz Schick; Uwe Klose

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 730 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1053-1807
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.10190

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Purpose

To quantify the macromolecular content in different anatomic brain regions and to evaluate an age dependency of the macromolecular concentrations.

Material and Methods

A short echo time Stimulated Echo Acquisition Mode (STEAM) sequence was used without and with inversion recovery metabolite nulling in 8–12 healthy volunteers. Quantitation was achieved by an extended LCModel, and macromolecular resonances at 0.9, 1.4, 2.1, and 3.0 ppm were evaluated.

Results

In the cerebellum, the 1.4, 2.1, and 3.0 ppm resonances were highest compared to all other regions (P < 0.02); the 0.9 ppm resonance was significantly higher than that of pons (P < 0.01). In the motor cortex, the 0.9, 1.4, and 2.1 ppm resonances were higher than those of white matter and pons (P < 0.02). Pons and white matter did not differ significantly from each other. A significant correlation of the macromolecular concentrations with the age could not be found.

Conclusion

There were higher macromolecular concentrations in the cerebellum and motor cortex than in pons or white matter. These were probably due to the higher portions of gray matter in these volumes of interest (VOIs) than in the other regions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2002;16:538–546. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.