Procedure for Quantitative 1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Tissue Characterization of Human Brain Tissue Based on the Use of Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• PurposeExisting methods for quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy are not widely used for magnetic resonance spectroscopy examinations in clinical practice due to the lengthy and difficult workflow. In this report, we aimed to investigate whether metabolite concentrations show co-variation with relaxation parameters (R-1,R-H2O,R-2,R-H2O), water concentration (C-H2O), and age, using a quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy method, which is suitable for a clinical setting. MethodsWe performed 166 single voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements in the white matter and thalamus in 47 healthy subjects, aged 18-72 years. Whole brain R-1,R-H2O, R-2,R-H2O, and C-H2O maps were determined for each subject using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Absolute metabolite concentrations were calculated by calibrating the water-scaled magnetic resonance spectroscopy, using the quantitative magnetic resonance imaging maps of R-1,R-H2O, R-2,R-H2O, and C-H2O. ResultsAbsolute concentrations in white matter of total Creatine and myo-Inositol were correlated with age (total Creatine: 12 4 M/year, P < 0.01; myo-Inositol: 23 +/- 9 M/year, P < 0.05), suggesting a process of increased glia density in aging white matter. Moreover, total Creatine and total N-acetylaspartate were inversely correlated with the R-1,R-H2O and positively correlated with the C-H2O of white matter. In addition, the Cramer-Rao lower bound was biased regarding the metabolite concentration, suggesting that should not be used as a quality assessment. ConclusionThe implemented method was fast, robust, and user-independent.

Nyckelord

1H-MRS

qMRI

LCModel

White matter

Thalamus

Age

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