In Vivo 13C MRS of Human Brain at 3T Using Stochastic Decoupling with a Proton Volume Coil

Shizhe Li¹, Yan Zhang¹, Shumin Wang¹, Maria Ferraris Araneta¹, Christopher Johnson¹, Robert Innis¹, Jun Shen¹

Proton decoupling power can be significantly reduced by using [2-¹³C]glucose infusion and detecting label incorporation into carboxylic/amide carbons. With increased decoupling efficiency, proton decoupling can use a volume coil, which is convenient for studying many brain regions, e.g., the frontal lobe. Here we report ¹³C MRS of human brain that uses a short birdcage coil for proton decoupling. The decoupling power is significantly reduced and at the same level as in previous human brain ¹³C MRS studies using quadrature surface coils. Analysis of specific absorption rate using volume coil proton decoupling is also provided.