Duan Xu1,2, Natalie Charlton1, Shoujun Zhao1, Ying Lu1, Donna M. Ferriero3, Daniel B. Vigneron1,2, A James Barkovich1
1Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA; 2Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, UCSF/UC Berkeley, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, USA; 3Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
In this study, 3D-PRESS was used to acquire MRSI in neonatal subjects, in order to better quantify metabolite levels. This preliminary study of premature neonates demonstrates significant correlation between age and metabolite ratios. The NAA to Cho ratio increased significantly with age for all regions. Lac to NAA ratio decreased significantly with age in the regions of thalamus, basal ganglia, cortical spinal tract, and parietal white matter, and showed a decreasing trend in the other regions. This establishes a baseline of the normal metabolite ratios for newborns, which are crucial in evaluating conditions of premature newborns and newborns with birth complication.