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Abstract #4310

High Spatial Resolution Proton-Echo-Planar-Spectroscopic-Imaging (PEPSI) in Human Brain at 3 Tesla Using 32-Channel RF Coil Array

Akio Ernesto Yoshimoto1, Andre van der Kouwe2, Arvind Caprihan3, Fa-Hsuan Lin2, Lawrence L. Wald2, Stefan Posse4

1Electrical and Computer Engineering, U. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; 2MGH-HMS-MIT Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA; 3The MIND Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA; 4Neurology, U. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA


This MRSI study at 3T using a 32-channel head array coil demonstrates the feasibility of short TE (15 ms) mapping of singlet and J-coupled metabolites in human brain with a spatial resolution high enough to delineate cortical anatomical structures in metabolite images. MRSI data from a slice extending into lateral gray matter were acquired with Proton-Echo-Planar-Spectroscopic-Imaging (PEPSI) using 64x64 spatial matrix and 0.25 cc voxel size. Metabolite concentration estimates using LCModel fitting with relaxation and partial-volume correction were consistent with previous studies. This PEPSI methodology is suitable for investigating metabolic abnormalities in cortical brain lesions in neurological and psychiatric disease.