In Vivo Monitoring of Rat Spinal Cord Metabolism Using Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 MR Spectroscopic Imaging

This study demonstrated the feasibility of using hyperpolarized ¹³C-MR spectroscopic imaging with [1-¹³C]-pyruvate to evaluate in vivo spinal cord metabolism. High pyruvate and relatively small lactate signal were observed in the cervical spinal cords of naive rats. Lactate and pyruvate measures were similar for spinal cord and supratentorial brain. The results from this study establish baseline measures for spinal cord hyperpolarized MRS imaging with ¹³C pyruvate. This technique holds promise as a valuable molecular imaging tool for monitoring biochemical processes in the normal and diseased spinal cord.