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Abstract #1394

Modeling MEGA-PRESS Macromolecules for a Better Grasp of GABA

James B. Murdoch1, Ulrike Dydak2,3

1Toshiba Medical Research Institute USA, Mayfield Village, OH, United States; 2School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States; 32Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States


GABA, a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, is central to the understanding of many neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. The TE 68 MEGA-PRESS sequence has proven to be a reliable technique for measuring GABA at 3T, but subsequent analysis is frequently complicated by the presence of a co-edited macromolecule peak at 3.0 ppm (MM30). We have explored five different techniques for managing this macromolecular feature in LCModel. In particular, we have created and analyzed synthetic metabolite-ed spectra to obtain a new set of MM functions appropriate for MEGA-PRESS difference spectra.