This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Over the past two decades, valuable information on brain metabolite levels and fluxes has been obtained using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy of nuclei such as protons (1H), phosphorus (31P), and carbon (13C). Although spectroscopic imaging technology has been available, most of these studies have been on single volume elements (voxels). Research would benefit from extension to whole brain coverage using MRSI, but today's MRSI protocols typically require total scan times on the order of 30 minutes to one hour and are generally limited to long echo times (TE). These methods are therefore unable to study both subject populations whose neurological disorder or age limit compliance and metabolites with short transverse relaxation times, thereby excluding important neurotransmitters such as glutamate and GABA. Our long term goal is to develop rapid, quantitative methods for short-TE proton MRSI on widely-available 1.5 Tesla human MR systems. We will also develop protocols for 13C MRSI. Finally, we will develop MRSI processing software, since the availability of efficient and user-friendly processing software is vitally important for the dissemination and widespread use of MRSI. The processing software will be applicable for machines of any field strength, and will support file formats from multiple manufacturers, also permitting widespread dissemination of the programs. The work is driven by the needs of collaborative NIH funded grants on Mental retardation and Learning Disabilities (LD) (in particular, LD associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 1) (Collaboration 1), Rett Syndrome (Collaboration 2), Brain tumors (Collaboration 4), Stroke (Collaboration 5), (Collaboration 8) and Schizophrenia (Collaboration 10). In addition, TRD 2 will also provide service for NIH funded projects on Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) (Service 1), the Neurodevelopmental Brain Research Unit (Service Project 2), and Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest (Service Project 4). In addition to the training of students, residents, visiting and post-doctoral fellows at JHU and KKI, TRD 2 will also support the training of several NIH-funded (K-award) clinician researchers, including Dr Egeth, Dr Lahti and Dr Cutting (training grants 4, 5 and 7).
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