Hongxia Lei1,2, Carole Berthet3, Lorenz Hirt3, Rolf Gruetter1,4
1EPFL, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland; 2UNIL, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland; 3CHUV, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland; 4UNIGE, Geneva, Switzerland
1H MRS of ischemic mouse brains is feasible at high magnetic field and detects substantial metabolic changes in the neurochemical profile. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different degrees of focal ischemic insults on the neurochemical profiles at an early time-point and to identify markers for reduced cerebral perfusion and for irreversible ischemic damage. The results show that the glutamine increase indicates ischemia and probably reflects ischemia induced glutamate release, while the neuronal markers N-acetylaspartate and glutamate are more likely to indicate an irreversible cerebral lesion.