Several pathological conditions affect only a small volume of the cortex (such as the motor cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and its characterization in mouse models is made impossible by the interference of normal, nearby cortical tissue. A sub-microlitre preclinical MRS technique was successfully implemented to detect subtle changes of the neurometabolite concentrations in three cortical areas. Employing LASER together with using cryogenically cooled RF coils significantly reduces the acquisition time to enable sub-microlitre MRS acquisition. Our findings demonstrate that neurochemical profiles of individual cortical brain regions can be reliably collected in pre-clinically feasible scan times.
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