MR spectroscopy

Abstract

Localized in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is useful for obtaining information on brain metabolism. Many neurological diseases are associated with more or less specifi c changes of metabolite concentrations, which can be determined from integral peak intensities in MR spectra. The normal neurochemical profi le and its changes in pathological conditions including spinocerebellar ataxias, other neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders were measured in vivo on series of patients and compared with normal values obtained on control subjects. It was shown that changes in cerebellar concentrations of some metabolites could be used as markers for the diagnosis and follow-up of diseases.