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The separation of Gln and Glu in STEAM: a comparison study using short and long TEs/TMs at 3 and 7 T

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Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the optimal echo time (TE) and mixing time (TM) for in vivo glutamine (Gln) and glutamate (Glu) separation in stimulated-echo acquisition mode at 3 and 7 T. We applied a short TE/TM (20/10 ms) for a high signal-to-noise-ratio and a field-specific long TE/TM (3 T: 72/6 ms; 7 T: 74/68 ms) for optimal Gln and Glu separation of the Carbon-4 proton resonances.

Materials and methods

Corresponding Gln and Glu spectra were simulated using VeSPA software, and measured in a phantom and human brains at 3 and 7 T.

Results

Higher spectral separation for Gln and Glu was achieved at 7 than 3 T. At 7 T, short TE/TM provided comparable spectral separation and in vitro Gln and Glu quantification compared to long TE/TM. Moreover, it showed greater reliability in in vivo Gln and Glu detection and separation than long TE/TM, with significantly lower Cramer–Rao lower bounds (Gln: 14.9 vs. 75.8; Glu: 3.8 vs. 6.5) and correlation between Gln and Glu (p = 0.004).

Conclusion

Based on the optimal separation for Gln and Glu, a short TE/TM at 7 T is proposed for future in vivo Gln and Glu acquisition.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: Wa2673/3-1), the ERA-NET Neuron Project SuppHab (MW), and Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB)-779 (MW, OS).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

Measurements on human subjects in this study were approved by the local ethics committee and were, therefore, performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki. All involved subjects gave their informed consent before recruitment in the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty for Natural Sciences, Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Otto-von-Guericke University, ZENIT Building, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

    Weiqiang Dou & Oliver Speck

  2. Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

    Jörn Kaufmann

  3. Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany

    Meng Li, Martin Walter & Oliver Speck

  4. High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China

    Kai Zhong

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

    Martin Walter

  6. Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany

    Martin Walter & Oliver Speck

  7. German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (DZNE), Site Magdeburg, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

    Oliver Speck

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  1. Weiqiang Dou
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Correspondence to Weiqiang Dou.

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Dou, W., Kaufmann, J., Li, M. et al. The separation of Gln and Glu in STEAM: a comparison study using short and long TEs/TMs at 3 and 7 T. Magn Reson Mater Phy 28, 395–405 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-014-0479-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-014-0479-7

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