Correlation-peak imaging

Identification and quantitation in conventional 1H spectroscopic imaging in vivo is often hampered by the small chemical-shift range. To improve the spectral resolution of spectroscopic imaging, homonuclear two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy has been combined with phase encoding of the spatial dimensions. From the theoretical description of the coherence-transfer signal in the Fourier-transform domain, a comprehensive acquisition and processing strategy is presented that includes optimization of the width and the position of the acquisition windows, matched filtering of the signal envelope, and graphical presentation of the cross peak of interest. The procedure has been applied to image the spatial distribution of the correlation peaks from specific spin systems in the hypocotyl of castor bean (Ricinus communis) seedlings. Despite the overlap of many resonances, correlation-peak imaging made it possible to observe a number of proton resonances, such as those of sucrose, beta-glucose, glutamine/glutamate, lysine, and arginine.