A localized double-quantum filter for in vivo detection of taurine

Noninvasive detection of taurine, an important amino acid involved in numerous physiological processes, by in vivo (1)H magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is complicated by severe overlap of the taurine resonances with those of a number of other metabolites. Unambiguous differentiation of the taurine resonances requires spectral editing. In this study, the development of a localized spectral editing technique based on double-quantum filtering optimized for in vivo detection of taurine is described. The sequence recovers the taurine signal while substantially eliminating overlapping resonances and provides excellent three-dimensional spatial localization. The performance of the sequence is demonstrated both in phantoms and in rat brain in vivo. Magn Reson Med 42:454-460, 1999.