Application of 2D 1H NMR spectroscopy to the study of the brain, spinal cord, and sciatic nerve

Homonuclear 1H 2D NMR spectroscopy (COSY experiments at 400 and 600 MHz) were used to study the rat brain in vivo and the rabbit spinal cord and sciatic nerve in vitro. The following metabolites were identified: lactate, alanine, threonine, GABA, glutamine/glutamate, N-acetyl aspartate, aspartate, taurine, inositol derivatives, choline derivatives, and glucose. The sciatic nerve spectra showed characteristic COSY graphs of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and linoleic and linolenic type structures were identified.