High-field Brain Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows non-invasive measurement of the concentration of up to 18 metabolites in the brain ("neurochemical profile"). The objective of this proposal is to develop new methods for high-field brain MRS (3 to 7 Tesla). Our main hypothesis is that higher magnetic fields lead to improved spatial and temporal resolution and improved quantification precision. Aims 1. To obtain improved "neurochemical profiles" in the brain using single voxel proton MRS at very high field (3 Tesla to 7 Tesla). 2. To develop new methods for proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to obtain metabolic maps at very high field (3 Tesla to 7 Tesla). Since this project is focused on technical development, only healthy volunteers will be recruited (no patients).