Daniel Polders1, Esther Verstraete2, Vincent Boer1, Leonard H. van den Berg2, Peter Luijten1, Dennis Klomp1
1Radiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; 2Neurology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
In this study, we utilized the increased SNR and chemical shift dispersion available with MRS at 7T to investigate selected metabolites in ALS patients and healthy controls. A single voxel (STEAM) measurement was performed, located in the sub-cortical white matter and covering the left motor tract. Fitting to a simulated basis set of nine metabolites and a separately collected macromolecular baseline showed significantly decreased levels of glutamate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate.