Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The transverse relaxation times (T(2)) and concentrations of Ascorbate (Asc) and glutathione (GSH) were measured from a single dataset of double-edited spectra that were acquired at several TEs at 4 T in the human brain. Six TEs between 102 and 152  ms were utilized to calculate T(2) for the group of 12 subjects scanned five times each. Spectra measured at all six TEs were summed to quantify the concentration in each individual scan. LCModel fitting was optimized for the quantification of the Asc and GSH double-edited spectra. When the fitted baseline was constrained to be flat, T(2) was found to be 67  ms (95% confidence interval, 50-83  ms) for GSH and ≤115  ms for Asc using the sum of spectra measured over 60 scans. The Asc and GSH concentrations quantified in each of the 60 scans were 0.62 ± 0.08 and 0.81 ± 0.11  µmol/g [mean ± standard deviation (SD), n = 60], respectively, using 10  µmol/g N-acetylaspartate as an internal reference and assuming a constant influence of N-acetylaspartate and antioxidant T(2) relaxation in the reference solution and in vivo. The T(2) value of GSH was measured for the first time in the human brain. The data are consistent with short T(2) for both antioxidants. These T(2) values are essential for the absolute quantification of Asc and GSH concentrations measured at long TE, and provide a critical step towards addressing assumptions about T(2), and therefore towards the quantification of concentrations without the possibility of systematic bias.

Original publication

DOI

10.1002/nbm.1583

Type

Journal article

Journal

NMR Biomed

Publication Date

04/2011

Volume

24

Pages

263 - 269

Keywords

Antioxidants, Ascorbic Acid, Brain Chemistry, Glutathione, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Monte Carlo Method