Short-Echo, Single-Shot, Full-Intensity 1H MRS of the Human Brain at 4T

Gulin Oz¹, Ivan Tkac¹

Short echo times are advantageous for ¹H MR spectroscopy because they facilitate quantification of metabolites with coupled spin systems and minimize signal loss due to T₂ relaxation. A semi-adiabatic LASER sequence with short TE was developed and optimized for full intensity ¹H MRS at 4T. Neurochemical profiles of the cerebellum and brainstem were measured in 23 healthy subjects using semi-LASER and STEAM pulse sequences. Neurochemical profiles acquired by these two techniques were nearly identical. A high correlation between metabolite concentrations quantified by these two techniques indicated the sensitivity to detect inter-subject variation in metabolite levels.