title: Comparative reliability of proton spectroscopy techniques designed to improve detection of J-coupled metabolites.
abstract: Improved detection of J-coupled neurometabolites through the use of modified proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) techniques has recently been reported. TE-averaged point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) uses the J modulation effects by averaging FIDs with differing echo times to improve detection of glutamate, while standard PRESS detection of glutamate can be improved by using an appropriate single echo determined from J-modulation simulations. In the present study, the reliabilities of TE-averaged PRESS, standard PRESS with TE = 40 ms, and standard PRESS with TE = 30 ms in detecting metabolite levels in the cingulate gyrus of the human brain at 3T were compared in six subjects. TE-averaged PRESS measures showed a mean variability of 9% for N-acetyl aspartate, choline, and creatine, compared with < 4% for the 30- and 40-ms PRESS techniques. The coefficients of variation for glutamate were 10%, 7%, and 5% for TE-averaged, 30-ms, and 40-ms PRESS, respectively. PRESS with a TE of 40 ms also demonstrated improved reliability for GABA and glutamine concentrations. These results show that with the appropriate selection of echo time standard PRESS can be a reliable (1)H-MRS technique for the measurement of J-coupled neurometabolites in the human brain and, moreover, compares favorably with at least one J-edited technique.
authors.affiliation: Bangor Imaging Center, School of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, United Kingdom. p.mullins@bangor.ac.uk
authors.forename: Paul Gerald
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Mullins
authors.forename: Hongji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caprihan
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gasparovic
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011522:Protons; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D018698:Glutamic Acid