Detection of glucose in the human brain with 1H MRS at 7 Tesla

Abstract

Purpose: A new method is proposed for noninvasive detection of glucose in vivo using proton MR spectroscopy at 7 Tesla. Theory and Methods: The proposed method utilizes J-difference editing to uncover the resonance of beta-glucose (β-glc) at 3.23 ppm, which is strongly overlapped with choline. Calculations using the density matrix formalism are used to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the β-glc resonance at 3.23 ppm. The calculations are verified using phantom and in vivo data collected at 7 Tesla. Results: The proposed method allows observation of the glucose signal at 3.23 ppm in the human brain spectrum. Additional co-edited resonances of N-acetylaspartylglutamatate and glutathione are also detected in the same experiment. Conclusion: The proposed method does not require carbon (13C)- labeled glucose injections and 13C hardware; as such, it has a potential to provide valuable information on intrinsic glucose concentration in the human brain in vivo. Magn Reson Med 76:1653–1660, 2016. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.