Assignment of the NMR 2H Double Quantum Filtered Signals in Nerves and Spinal Cords to Their Anatomical Compartments

Hadassah Shinar¹, Tal Ben -David¹, Uzi Eliav¹, Gil Navon¹

²H double quantum filtered (DQF) NMR of nerves and spinal cords enabled the assignment of the different signals to their anatomical compartments. In nerves the signals with the quadrupolar splittings of approximately 1500, 500, and 200 Hz were assigned to the water in the epineurium, myelin sheaths and endoneurium respectively. A narrow signal was also observed and assigned to intraaxonal water. In spinal cords only the 500 Hz satellites and the narrow signal were detected. The assignment was based on a series of experiments including the effects of collagenase, stretching, Wallerian degeneration, diffusion and was corroborated by histology. <