J Refocused Coherence Transfer Spectroscopic Imaging at 7T

Jullie W. Pan¹, Nikolai Avdievich¹, Hoby P. Hetherington¹

The detection of amino acids at ultra high field is enhanced due to improved spectral resolution in comparison to 3T. However, due to J-modulation and T2 losses short spin echo acquisitions are typically used at 7T. Unfortunately, broad macromolecule resonances, visible at short TE, can make accurate detection of the metabolites difficult. J refocused coherence transfer spectroscopy is known to suppress J-modulation of coupled spin systems, thereby allowing longer echo times and suppressing macromolecule contamination. We describe simulation and implementation of a J-refocused transfer sequence for spectroscopic imaging of glutamate and glutamine in the human brain at 7T.