NMR in biomedicine
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Resolution enhancement for glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln) and glutathione (GSH) in the human brain by TE-optimized point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) at 7 T is reported. Sub-TE dependences of the multiplets of Glu, Gln, GSH, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) at 2.2-2.6 ppm were investigated with density matrix simulations, incorporating three-dimensional volume localization. The numerical simulations indicated that the C4-proton multiplets can be completely separated with (TE(1), TE(2)) = (37, 63) ms, as a result of a narrowing of the multiplets and suppression of the NAA 2.5 ppm signal. ⋯ In spectral fitting by LCModel, Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) of Glu, Gln and GSH were 2 ± 1, 5 ± 1 and 6 ± 2 (mean ± SD), respectively. To evaluate the performance of the optimized PRESS method under identical experimental conditions, stimulated-echo spectra were acquired with (TE, TM) = (14, 37) and (74, 68) ms. The CRLB of Glu was similar between PRESS and short-TE stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM), but the CRLBs of Gln and GSH were lower in PRESS than in both STEAM acquisitions.
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Signal loss observed in the brain by MRI following the administration of ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO) has been correlated with immune cell activity in inflammatory areas during multiple sclerosis. Uptake of USPIO by circulating monocytes and their migration towards inflammatory areas have been considered as the most important mechanism for USPIO uptake by the brain parenchyma. However, the involvement of a damaged blood-brain barrier is also debated as a possible mechanism for cerebral USPIO uptake. ⋯ The current study demonstrates that USPIO enter the central nervous system directly after administration, pointing to the involvement of a damaged blood-brain barrier in the appearance of USPIO-associated MR abnormalities. Furthermore, a possible role of the cervical lymph nodes as a drainage pathway of USPIO is suggested. These data shed new light on the use of USPIO in neuroinflammatory diseases, identifying USPIO as a marker for both cellular infiltration and blood-brain barrier damage.
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The combination of flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) and single-shot k-space-banded gradient- and spin-echo (kbGRASE) is proposed here to measure perfusion in the mouse brain with high sensitivity and stability. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis showed that kbGRASE-FAIR boosts image and temporal SNRs by 2.01 ± 0.08 and 2.50 ± 0.07 times, respectively, when compared with standard single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI)-FAIR implemented in our experimental systems, although the practically achievable spatial resolution was slightly reduced. ⋯ The functional MRI time courses with kbGRASE-FAIR showed a more stable response to 5% CO(2) than did those with EPI-FAIR. The results establish kbGRASE-FAIR as a practical and robust protocol for quantitative CBF measurements in mice at 9.4 T.
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In vivo high-field MRI in the abdomen of small animals is technically challenging because of the small voxel sizes, short T(2) and physiological motion. In standard Cartesian sampling, respiratory and gastrointestinal motion can lead to ghosting artefacts. Although respiratory triggering and navigator echoes can either avoid or compensate for motion, they can lead to variable TRs, require invasive intubation and ventilation, or extend TEs. ⋯ The results were similar, with the exception that respiratory triggering was unable to exclude major motion artefacts as a result of the sensitisation to motion by the diffusion gradients. The PROPELLER data were of consistently higher quality. Considerations specific to the use of PROPELLER at high field are discussed, including the selection of practical blade widths and the effects on contrast, resolution and artefacts.