A numerical approach to non-circular birdcage RF coil optimization: verification with a fourth-order coil

It is demonstrated that birdcage resonators, satisfying conditions of quadrature operation and radiofrequency field homogeneity, can be realized in practice on formers of non-circular cross section described by an equation of the form (x/a)n + (y/b)n = 1 where a and b are constants and n > or = 2 is an integer. Using a ladder network analogous to that of a conventional circular birdcage, optimization algorithms were employed to determine the elemental current distribution on the non-circular cylindrical surfaces. A comparison of circular, elliptical, symmetric and asymmetric fourth-order (n = 4) section birdcage current distributions is presented. A short, asymmetric fourth-order cage was constructed and tested experimentally at 3 T and compared with a conventional circular-section head coil.

The role of the N-acetylaspartate multiplet in the quantification of brain metabolites

N-Acetylaspartate, whose methyl singlet is the primary magnetic resonance marker of neuronal dysfunction, also gives rise to a sequence-dependent, strongly coupled multiplet that overlaps the resonances of several other metabolites. Results are presented in this paper of a full numerical calculation of the response of the strongly coupled aspartate multiplet of N-acetylaspartate to a PRESS pulse sequence employing practical slice-selective pulses. These calculations, confirmed by experiments on phantoms, demonstrate the ability to predict the dependence of the response of strongly coupled spins on pulse design, as well as on interpulse evolutions, thereby facilitating a more rigorous comparison of the use of spectral fitting routines employed to extract metabolite concentrations on different instruments.

Multicomponent water proton transverse relaxation and T2-discriminated water diffusion in myelinated and nonmyelinated nerve

The influence of compartmental boundaries on water proton transverse relaxation and diffusion measurements was investigated in three distinct excised nerves, namely, the non-myelinated olfactory nerve, the Schwann cell myelinated trigeminal nerve, and the oligodendrocyte myelinated optic nerve of the garfish. The transverse relaxation decay curves were multiexponential and their decomposition yielded three primary components with T2 values approximately 30-50, 150, and 500 ms, which were subsequently assigned to water protons in the myelin, axoplasm, and interaxonal compartments. The short T2 component was absent in the non-myelinated olfactory nerve, but present in both myelinated nerves and thus provides supporting evidence for the use of quantitative T2 measurements to measure the degree of myelination. The signal contribution of each T2 component to the apparent diffusion coefficient measurements was varied by incrementing the spin-echo time with a preparatory CPMG train of radiofrequency pulses. The apparent diffusion coefficient and its anisotropy were shown to be independent of the spin-echo time over the range of 70 to 450 ms.

Multi-component T1 relaxation and magnetisation transfer in peripheral nerve

We report here a study of longitudinal relaxation (T1) and magnetisation transfer (MT) in peripheral nerve. Amphibian sciatic nerve was maintained in vitro and studied at a magnetic field strength of 3 T. A CPMG pulse sequence was modified to include either a saturation pulse to measure T1 relaxation or an off-resonance RF irradiation pulse to measure MT. The resulting transverse relaxation (T2) spectra yielded four components corresponding to three nerve compartments, taken to result from myelinic, axonal, and inter-axonal water, and a fourth corresponding to the buffer solution water in which the nerve sample was bathed. Each nerve component was analysed for T1 relaxation and MT. All three nerve T2 components exhibited unique T1 relaxation and MT characteristics, providing further support for the assignment of the components to unique physical compartments of water. Numerical investigation of T1sat measurements of each of the three nerve T2 components indicates that while the two shorter-lived exhibit similar steady-state magnetisation transfer ratios (MTRs), their respective MT properties are quite different. Simulations demonstrate that mobile water exchange between these two components is not necessary to explain their similar steady-state MTR. In the context of the assignment of these two components to signal from myelinic and axonal water, this is to say that these two microanatomical regions of nerve may exhibit similar steady-state MTR characteristics despite possessing widely different MT exchange rates. Therefore, interpreting changes in MTR solely to reflect a change in degree of myelination could lead to erroneous conclusions.

A new multiple quantum filter design procedure for use on strongly coupled spin systems found in vivo: its application to glutamate

A numerical procedure is outlined that is appropriate for the design of multiple quantum filter sequences targeted for the strongly coupled, multiple spin systems that occur in metabolites present in brain. The procedure uses numerical methods of solution of the density matrix equations, first, to establish the most appropriate resonance to target with the filter; second, to provide contour plots of a performance index of the filter in terms of critical sequence parameters; and third, to produce the response signals of the target and the background metabolites to the optimized filter. The procedure is exemplified for the AMNPQ spin system of the amino acid glutamate at a field strength of 3 T. The 2.3 ppm peak of the PQ multiplet of glutamate was identified as the target resonance, and the performance of the filter so derived was evaluated experimentally on phantom solutions and in human brain. These experiments clearly demonstrate that a linewidth of <or=4 Hz is required for full resolution of glutamate from glutamine at 3 T using this double quantum filter. Nevertheless, even at a linewidth of approximately 7 Hz in vivo, the 2.3 ppm peak of glutamate dominates the filter response and thereby removes a significant cause of uncertainty in measuring changes in glutamate by eliminating most of the background observed in unedited spectra obtained using PRESS or STEAM.

Increasing striatal iron content associated with normal aging

Free-radical-mediated mechanisms may contribute to neuronal damage in Parkinson's disease (PD), other neurodegenerative conditions also associated with aging, and the aging process itself. Cytotoxic free radicals are generated in the brain by oxidation/reduction reactions that are catalyzed by transition metals such as iron. Any regional increase in brain iron concentration may increase the potential for local free-radical formation. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between age and basal ganglia iron content in 20 normal individuals ranging from 24 to 79 years of age. We used an in vivo magnetic resonance method to quantify the effects of paramagnetic centers sequestered inside cellular membranes, thereby enabling the determination of a quantitative index of local brain iron content. We observed a strong direct relationship between age and regional iron content in the putamen (r = 0.76, p < 0.0001) and caudate (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), but not in the globus pallidus (r = 0.32, p = 0.17) or thalamus (r = 0.13, p = 0.58). In conclusion, striatal iron content increases with advancing age. This increase may increase the probability of free-radical formation in the striatum, therefore representing a risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as PD in which nigrostriatal neurons may be affected by increased oxidant stress.

Increased basal ganglia iron in striatonigral degeneration: in vivo estimation with magnetic resonance

BACKGROUND

As many as 20% of individuals with the clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) do not have the characteristic neuropathologic features of PD at post mortem. The striatonigral degeneration (SND) subtype of multiple system atrophy is one of the categories of pathology which may be incorrectly diagnosed as PD on the basis of clinical presentation. SND may be associated with increased iron deposition in the putamen which can be detected with magnetic resonance imaging.

METHODS

We have estimated regional brain iron content in a patient with probable SND, using a novel imaging method developed in our laboratory, and have compared the results in this patient to those which we have previously reported in patients with PD and in age-matched controls.

RESULTS

We observed that putamenal iron content was increased in our SND patient, beyond the 95% confidence limit for inclusion in the PD group, even when considering clinical severity. In contrast, pallidal and thalamic iron were within the PD range.

CONCLUSIONS

The demonstration of increased putamenal iron content may be a useful adjunctive investigative procedure in patients with suspected SND.

Estimation of brainstem neuronal loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may be used to quantify brainstem neuronal degeneration in ALS because of the neuronal localization of N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate, together termed NA, which are estimated with this technique. We measured the ratio of NA to creatine/phosphocreatine (NA/Cr) with proton MRS at 3.0 tesla (T) in a 4.3-cm3 volume in the pons and upper medulla of 12 ALS patients and 17 age-matched control subjects. Brainstem NA/Cr was reduced in ALS versus control subjects (mean +/- SD: 1.57 +/- 0.20 versus 1.95 +/- 0.14; p < 0.0001). Patients with severe spasticity or prominent bulbar weakness had the lowest NA/Cr ratios; those with predominantly lower motor neuron limb weakness had near-normal ratios. We conclude that proton MRS may quantify region-specific neuronal dysfunction in ALS.

Metabolite-specific NMR spectroscopy in vivo

An outline is presented of metabolite-specific in vivo NMR spectroscopy (particularly in brain). It reviews from a physical spectroscopist's perspective, the need for and the methods of observation of, individual metabolite resonances.

Simultaneous 31P MRS of the soleus and gastrocnemius in Sherpas during graded calf muscle exercise

The observation that the amount of lactate formed during hypobaric hypoxia decreases with the severity of hypoxia has become known as the "lactate paradox." We used noninvasive 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to further probe this problem and explore the nature of muscle metabolism during rest-exercise-recovery transitions in Sherpas indigenous to the high Himalayas of Nepal. MRS data were obtained using a whole body 1-m bore, 1.5-T Phillips Gyroscan spectrometer. Muscle-specific localization of MRS data acquisition was achieved by means of a modified image-selected in vivo spectroscopy sequence (ISIS). The spectra acquired from the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscle, rich in fast-twitch fibers, were well constrained by selective excitation and by the boundary of the leg. The spectra from a third region contained signals predominantly from the soleus, a muscle formed mainly of slow-twitch fibers. We quantified relative concentration changes in phosphocreatine (PCr), Pi, and ATP during a series of calf muscle work bouts; free ADP concentrations were calculated on the assumption that the creatine phosphokinase reaction was always essentially at equilibrium. Hydrogen ion concentrations were calculated from the chemical shift of Pi, which represents the equilibrium between mono- and diprotonated phosphate. Plantar flexion was quantified using a calf muscle ergometer designed for operation within a 1-m whole body magnet. We found that the concentration of ATP was rigorously regulated and thus did not change despite large changes in ATP turnover rates required through exercise. The relative concentrations of PCr and Pi were linear functions of the percent maximum work rate of the lateral and medial gastrocnemius, but on transition to exercise the fractional concentration changes in these metabolites were much less than the fractional change in muscle ATP turnover rates. The relationship between muscle ATP turnover rate and free ADP concentration was complex; again, a kinetic order of 1 was not observed. In contrast to the gastrocnemius, the soleus muscle sustained much smaller changes in the concentrations of these crucial metabolites during rest-work-recovery transitions. Unlike the situation in most other muscles rich in fast-twitch fibers characterized by lactate-associated acidosis during muscle work, the intracellular pH in gastrocnemius of Sherpas was stable through these protocols, which is consistent with the low lactate production (i.e., with the lactate paradox) observed in indigenous highlanders.

Force output and energy metabolism during neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a 31P-NMR study

The purpose of this study was to determine the acute physiologic effects of two electrical stimulation protocols commonly used for muscle rehabilitation. Surface electrodes were used to provide 12 stimulations of the calf musculature. In protocol A the duty cycle was fixed at 1:1 (10-second stimulation: 10-second rest); for protocol B it was 1:5 (10-second stimulation: 50-second rest). We continuously recorded isometric plantarflexor force in six healthy male subjects during stimulation using a load cell connected to a foot pedal ergometer. Metabolic changes in the stimulated gastrocnemius muscle were monitored in the supine position using 31P-NMR spectroscopy (Phillips 1.5 tesla NMR machine). Relative changes in phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and intracellular pH (pHi) were obtained during stimulation and recovery, using a 1.5 cm RF surface antenna. Over the 12 stimulations, protocol A produced a significantly (p < 0.001), greater force decline (protocol A: 30.4 +/- 1.3%, protocol B: 13 +/- 0.8%); a significantly (p < 0.005), greater increase in Pi/PCr (protocol A: 210%, protocol B: 50%); and a significantly (p <0.001), lower pHi (protocol A: 6.8 +/- 0.16, protocol B: 7.03 +/- 0.12). We conclude that the shorter duty cycle produces more fatigue throughout the stimulation period, possibly as a result of greater intracellular acidosis and reduced availability of the high energy phosphate PCr. The clinical application of this finding relates to the selection of a stimulation protocol that maximizes strength gains in atrophic vs healthy muscle.

Observing N-acetyl aspartate via both its N-acetyl and its strongly coupled aspartate groups in in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The approximately 2.6 ppm aspartate multiplet of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) is considered a potential source of additional information on N-acetyl aspartate in vivo. Because the aspartate multiplet is the AB part of a strongly coupled ABX system it gives rise, as is shown in the analysis presented, to a significant field-strength dependence in the echo-time-dependent modulations of the response to typical spatial-localization sequences. The echo-time dependence of this response is developed analytically, not only for the STEAM and the PRESS localization sequences, but also for a spin-echo sequence. It is then verified experimentally at 2.35 T. The field-strength dependence of the response is demonstrated by evaluating the changes in the echo-time-dependent responses to each of the three sequences at field strengths of 1.5, 2.35, and 4.0 T. By means of these results, the preferred sequence (PRESS) can be optimized for the NAA aspartate multiplet at each field strength, as is illustrated with the human brain spectra obtained in vivo at 1.5 T. These in vivo spectra compare the optimal, long TE timing (163 ms) with a suboptimal TE (70 ms), for the observation of the approximately 2.6 ppm aspartate resonances of NAA.

Changes in water diffusion due to Wallerian degeneration in peripheral nerve

The authors report NMR measurements of the changes in water diffusion brought about by in vivo Wallerian degeneration due to either crush- or tie-injuries in the sciatic nerve of the frog. Using a pulsed-gradient spin-echo sequence with a diffusion measurement time of 28 ms, the degree of diffusion coefficient anisotropy ¿D(longitudinal)/D(transverse)¿ 4 weeks after injury in both crush- and tie-injured nerves (2.3 +/- 0.4 and 1.7 +/- 0.1, respectively) is significantly less than in normal frog sciatic nerve (3.9 +/- 0.4). The decrease of anisotropy in the degenerated nerves is due to both a decrease in longitudinal diffusion and an increase in transverse diffusion. The changes in diffusion coefficients are compared with the degree of axonal and myelin breakdown observed in light and electron micrographs of the nerves.

Chronic lithium does not alter human myo-inositol or phosphomonoester concentrations as measured by 1H and 31P MRS

Lithium may act by decreasing intracellular concentrations of myo-inositol. The present study measured the effects of chronic lithium on myo-inositol concentrations in volunteers. Eleven subjects received either lithium (n = 7) or placebo (n = 4) for 7 days in a double-blind study. Myo-inositol concentrations at baseline and day 8 were measured in vivo using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The results showed that lithium did not alter brain myo-inositol concentrations compared to placebo. In 5 other subjects we used 1H MRS and 31P MRS to measure changes in both myo-inositol and phosphomonoester concentrations. This second study showed that lithium did not alter myo-inositol or phosphomonoester concentrations. Thus, the present studies do not support the hypothesis that lithium significantly affects the brain concentrations of myo-inositol or phosphomonoesters; however, it is possible these findings represent an inability to detect the changes in myo-inositol and phosphomonoester concentrations that may have occurred following lithium administration.

An in vitro evaluation of the effects of local magnetic-susceptibility-induced gradients on anisotropic water diffusion in nerve

It has been suggested that the anistropy of the water-diffusion coefficient measured in nerve and in white matter could arise from locally anisotropic background gradients induced by the static field, B0. By utilizing 1) pulse sequences, which minimize the effects of background gradients, and 2) changes in sample orientation, which would maximize the change in the magnitude of these gradients if present, it is shown that in four excised nerves the background gradients do not play a measurable role in the anisotropy of the water-diffusion coefficient at a field strength of 2.35 T. The excised nerves evaluated were the olfactory, trigeminal, and optic nerves of the garfish and the sciatic nerve of the frog.

Estimation of brain iron in vivo by means of the interecho time dependence of image contrast

An imaging protocol for a quantitative estimation of disease-induced variations in brain iron is proposed and then validated, first, on a phantom and second, on a group of 11 healthy volunteers. The relative estimate of brain iron is achieved from a rate difference image that measures the enhancement, delta R2app, of the transverse relaxation rate of water protons brought about by the heterogeneous accumulation of iron in the glial cells. At 1.5 T, the phantom study demonstrates, over the range 0-6 A/m, a linear dependence of delta R2app on the magnetization difference between microspheres and a paramagnetic gel, with a sensitivity of approximately 2 s-1 A-1 m. In the group of healthy volunteers (mean age 33 +/- 7 years) devoid of disease-related or appreciable age-related accumulations of iron, the precision of delta R2app was still sufficient to distinguish the globus pallidus and the putamen from all of the other iron-containing brain structures in a manner that was significant at the 99% confidence level.

Basal ganglia iron content in Parkinson's disease measured with magnetic resonance

The possibility of using magnetic resonance (MR) to evaluate the severity of the pathological changes of Parkinson's disease (PD) is suggested by the known accumulation of iron in the basal ganglia in PD and the reduced signal evident from this area with conventional T2-weighted MR imaging. To improve the specificity of MR for the measurement of tissue iron content, we have developed a method that quantifies the effects of paramagnetic centers sequestered inside cellular membranes, based on the echo time dependence of the decay of transverse magnetization caused by the local field inhomogeneities which are due to intracellular iron. This method enables an index of local tissue iron content to be calculated for structures of the basal ganglia. We report here the application of this method to a series of patients with PD (n = 12) and of normal, age-matched controls (n = 13). Our objective was to determine whether this measurement of basal ganglia iron concentration correlates with the presence and severity of PD. We observed a significant increase in iron content in both the putamen and pallidum in PD as well as a correlation with the severity of clinical symptomatology. More severely affected patients had a higher iron content in both of these structures. Our results suggest that this MR measurement may provide a noninvasive method of measuring the severity of the pathological changes underlying PD.

Estimation of the iron concentration in excised gray matter by means of proton relaxation measurements

To validate their correlation with tissue iron concentration, proton transverse relaxation measurements have been made at 2.35 T (100 MHz) in 25 samples of excised, frozen, but unfixed human gray matter tissue obtained from the globus pallidus, putamen, caudate, thalamus, and cortex of five postmortem brains free of neurological disease. The iron concentration was independently measured, using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The proton transverse relaxation measurements exploited the interecho time dependence of the apparent transverse relaxation rate, R2app, obtained from a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence. An empirical semilogarithmic relationship between R2app and the interecho time provided a measure of the relaxation enhancement due to iron, namely, a slope p, which demonstrated a significant correlation (r = 0.78, P < 0.001) with tissue iron concentration. Moreover, a simple rate difference, delta R2app, determined between interecho time values of 6 and 60 ms, was also found to correlate significantly with iron concentration (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). Both of the foregoing correlations were better than that of R2app itself. When the tissue samples were subdivided into brain structure groups, the intergroup differences in rho reflected their known differences in iron accumulation and correlated with those of the mean group iron content, determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.

Relaxation enhancement of the transverse magnetization of water protons in paramagnetic suspensions of red blood cells

The enhancement of the water proton transverse relaxation, delta R2, brought about by a difference between intra and extracellular paramagnetic susceptibilities in a suspension of red blood cells (RBC) has been evaluated both experimentally and theoretically in terms of (i) the refocusing interval, delta 180, of a CPMG pulse sequence, (ii) the difference in paramagnetic susceptibility, and (iii) the shape of the cell surface. At a hematocrit of 45, the increase in the relaxation enhancement, delta R2, with increasing delta 180, was a factor of two greater for the naturally biconcave RBC, than for the quasi-spherical RBC in hypotonic suspensions. This difference could be modeled in terms of a transmembrane correlation time, tau = 5.5 ms, across an RBC surface characterized by a demagnetizing factor which differs by 0.13 from that of a sphere. The increase in delta R2 with increasing magnetization difference between the RBC and its surroundings was found to be marginally less than quadratic, both experimentally and from the model.

Generalized mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease detected by magnetic resonance spectroscopy of muscle

OBJECTIVE

To explore mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy of resting muscle.

DESIGN

Case-control study (28 PD patients and 28 normal controls) determining resting forearm inorganic phosphate/phosphocreatine (Pi/PCr) ratio.

RESULTS

Significant difference (p = 0.004, one-tailed test) in Pi/PCr ratio between PD patients (0.122) and controls (0.104). No correlation of Pi/PCr ratio with duration, severity, or speed of onset of disease. Positive correlation of Pi/PCr ratio with age in control group; reversed in PD group.

CONCLUSIONS

Suggests small generalized mitochondrial defect in PD. The possibility that earlier onset of disease is associated with more severe mitochondrial dysfunction needs further study.

Yield enhancement of a double-quantum filter sequence designed for the edited detection of GABA

To overcome limitations in the signal to noise ratio (S/N) of previously proposed multiple-quantum filters (MQFs), designed for editing the GABA A2 multiplet from the creatine (Cr) singlet in proton spectroscopy of brain, a new double-quantum filter is proposed which significantly enhances S/N (thereby making it comparable with the spin-echo difference editing technique) while maintaining the superior Cr suppression and zero vulnerability to subtraction errors of previously proposed MQFs. The S/N enhancement results primarily from a significant reduction in transverse-relaxation losses, achieved by shortening the filter sequence by approximately 70%, first by altering the criterion that determines the initial evolution period and, second, by effectively eliminating the refocusing time prior to the start of acquisition. The altered evolution time criterion also leads to an increase in the intrinsic yield of the filter from 25 to 39%. The analysis of the filter design was verified in vitro on phantoms of GABA in D2O, and the maintenance of editing capability, i.e., Cr suppression by more than 1600, was demonstrated on rat brain extracts.

The response of the strongly coupled AB system of citrate to typical 1H MRS localization sequences

The response of the strongly coupled AB system of citrate to the STEAM and PRESS spatial localization sequences is developed analytically and then verified experimentally at 2.35 T. At this field strength, the response predicted by the complete strong-coupling calculation is shown to differ greatly from that of the simpler weak-coupling approximation. It is shown that the strong-coupling effects induce a significant field-strength dependence in the time-dependent modulations of the response to either sequence. These effects are illustrated for the STEAM and PRESS responses at field strengths of 1.5, 2.35, and 4.7 T. Independent of the chosen sequence, the increase in the signal-to-noise (S/N) of the frequency response with increasing field strength is shown to be significantly less for the citrate system than for uncoupled spins. The factors which weaken the S/N dependence of the citrate AB signal with increasing field strength are quantified and discussed.

Water diffusion in the giant axon of the squid: implications for diffusion-weighted MRI of the nervous system

To clarify the result that marked diffusional anisotropy had been found in nomyelinated nerve, and in completion of an evaluation of the role of all longitudinal axonal structures, we report NMR measurements of water diffusion in the giant axon of the squid, where diffusional anisotropy is determined by the neurofilamentary structure. The diffusion coefficients of water parallel and perpendicular to the long axis of the squid giant axon at 20 degrees C are (1.61 +/- 0.06) x 10(-5) cm2 s-1 and (1.33 +/- 0.09) x 10(-5) cm2 s-1, respectively, which yield an anisotropic diffusion ratio of 1.2 +/- 0.1. Water diffusion in the squid giant axon is therefore quite rapid and nearly isotropic, thus eliminating the possibility of a significant role for the longitudinally oriented neurofilaments in producing diffusional anisotropy within the axoplasm. In conjunction with our work on garfish nerves therefore, only membranes, either as numerous axonal membranes or as myelin (if present), remain to fulfill the role of the primary determinant of anisotropic water diffusion in nerve and in white matter.