Mapping tissue sodium concentration in the human brain: a comparison of MR sequences at 9.4Tesla.
Sodium is the second most abundant MR-active nucleus in the human body and is of fundamental importance for the function of cells. Previous studies have shown that many pathophysiological conditions induce an increase of the average tissue sodium concentration. To date, several MR sequences have been used to measure sodium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and suitability of five different MR sequences for quantitative sodium imaging on a whole-body 9.4Tesla MR scanner. Numerical simulations, phantom experiments and in vivo imaging on healthy subjects were carried out. The results demonstrate that, of these five sequences, the Twisted Projection Imaging sequence is optimal for quantitative sodium imaging, as it combines a number of features which are particularly relevant in order to obtain high quality quantitative images of sodium. These include: ultra-short echo times, efficient k-space sampling, and robustness against off-resonance effects. Mapping of sodium in the human brain is a technique not yet fully explored in neuroscience. Ultra-high field sodium MRI may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, and may help to develop new and disease-specific biomarkers for the early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention before irreversible brain damage has taken place.
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany. Electronic address: s.romanzetti@fz-juelich.de.
Sandro
S
Romanzetti
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany; High-Field MR Center, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.
Christian C
CC
Mirkes
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
Daniel P
DP
Fiege
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
Avdo
A
Celik
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
Jörg
J
Felder
Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-BRAIN Translational Medicine, Germany.
N Jon
NJ
Shah
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D012964:Sodium
Concentration; MRI; Map; Sodium; UTE