Yuxiang Zhou1, Nehal A. Parikh2,
Katrina Burson2, Ponnada A. Narayana1
1Diagnostic &
Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston,
Houston, TX, United States; 2Dept. of Pediatrics, University of
Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
Cerebral proton MR spectroscopy was performed on 65 very preterm and 12 healthy term neonates, which offers a wealth of data on tissue biochemistry in various brain regions. Significant variations in the metabolite levels have been observed in the neonatal brains at different locations and between term and preterm neonates. These metabolites can represent potential biomarkers of the underlying pathology in extremely preterm neonates. Our ongoing work, correlating metabolites with neonatal risk factors and NDI, will further determine the value of MRS cerebral metabolites as biomarkers of brain development/injury in extremely preterm infants.