Phase-Adjusted Echo Time (PATE)-Averaging: Application for Glutamine Resolution at 3.0 Tesla

Andrew Paul Prescot¹, Todd L. Richards², Stephen R. Dager², Perry Franklin Renshaw¹

Proton (¹H) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) investigations have reported altered glutamatergic neurotransmission in a variety of psychiatric disorders. The unraveling of glutamate from glutamine resonances is crucial for interpreting these observations although this remains challenging at clinical static magnetic field strengths. Glu resolution can be improved through an approach known as echo-time (TE)-averaging, which involves the acquisition and averaging of multiple TE steps. However, that method strongly attenuates Gln resonances. We have developed a novel approach termed phase-adjusted TE (PATE)-averaging for retrieving Gln signals from a TE-averaged ¹H MRS dataset. Preliminary simulation and in vivo data are presented.