Abstract #2999

Absolute Quantification of Brain Metabolites at 3T: Methods and Pitfalls

Simona Nikolova¹, Robert Nikolov², and Craig E.L. Stark^1,3

¹Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, UCI, Irvine, CA, United States, ²Department of Neurology, University of California, UCI, Irvine, CA, United States, ³Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States

There exist several partial volume correction methods in the literature that often produce similar results. However, various tissue fractions can lead to substantial differences in estimated concentrations. These deviations are greater at longer TEs and greater cerebrospinal fluid contributions. In instances with a 75% WM fraction and no gray matter, the deviations can be up to 37% for TE of 135 ms at 3.0 T. These corrections were then applied to common regions of interest (ROI) in an MRS study involving 5 participants at 3T. By understanding where these methods deviate one can better make cross study comparisons.

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