title: Use of in vivo two-dimensional MR spectroscopy to compare the biochemistry of the human brain to that of glioblastoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop an in vivo two-dimensional localized correlation spectroscopy technique with which to monitor the biochemistry of the human brain and the pathologic characteristics of diseases in a clinically applicable time, including ascertainment of appropriate postprocessing parameters with which to allow diagnostic and prognostic molecules to be measured, and to investigate how much of the chemical information, known to be available from malignant cultured cells, could be recorded in vivo from human brain.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was approved by the institutional review board and was compliant with HIPAA. With use of a 3.0-T clinical magnetic resonance (MR) unit and a 32-channel head coil, localized correlation spectroscopy was performed in six healthy control subjects and six patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with an acquisition time of 11 minutes. Two-dimensional spectra were processed and analyzed and peak volume ratios were tabulated. The data used were proved to be normally distributed by passing the Shapiro-Wilk normality test. The first row of the spectra was extracted to examine diagnostic features. The pathologic characteristics and grade of each GBM were determined after biopsy or surgery. Statistically significant differences were assessed by using a t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The localized correlation spectroscopy method assigned biochemical species from the healthy human brain. The correlation spectra of GBM were of sufficiently high quality that many of the cross peaks, recorded previously from malignant cell models in vitro, were observed, demonstrating a statistically significant difference (P < .05) between the cross peak volumes measured for healthy subjects and those with GBM (which include lipid, alanine, N-acetylaspartate, γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamine and glutamate, glutathione, aspartate, lysine, threonine, total choline, glycerophosphorylcholine, myo-inositol, imidazole, uridine diphosphate glucose, isocitrate, lactate, and fucose). The first row of the spectra was found to contain diagnostic features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Localized correlation spectroscopy of the human brain at 3.0 T with use of a 32-channel head coil was performed in 11 minutes and provided information about neurotransmitters, metabolites, lipids, and macromolecules. The method was able to help differentiate healthy brain from the biochemical signature of GBM in vivo. This method may, in the future, reduce the need for biopsy and is now applicable for the study of selected neurologic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 4 Blackfan St, HIM 8-817, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Saadallah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramadan
authors.forename: Ovidiu C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Andronesi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stanwell
authors.forename: Alexander P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: A Gregory
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.forename: Carolyn E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mountford
mesh_terms: D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media