1H spectroscopic imaging of rat brain at 7 tesla

1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging has been used to obtain metabolite maps of the rat brain. The spin-echo-based technique has been evaluated with respect to water and lipid suppression and sensitivity. Metabolite maps were constructed for choline, creatine + phosphocreatine, amino acids, N-acetyl aspartate, and lactate. A spatial resolution of 3 x 3 mm (in plane) with 7-mm-thick slices was achieved routinely in 60-min (16 x 16 phase encodings) acquisitions. For higher intensity resonances, metabolite maps could be constructed in as little as 10 min. Results from phantoms and from rats under normal and focal ischemia conditions are presented.