DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BRAIN - IN-VIVO QUANTIFICATION OF METABOLITEAND WATER-CONTENT WITH PROTON MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Cerebral metabolite concentrations and water content were measured by means of localized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in 50 childr en, while metabolite peak ratios in short echo time spectra were evalu ated in 173 examinations. Normative curves for normal development were established for two cerebral locations. The current report presents t he first study of absolute metabolite concentrations and T1- and T2-re laxation as a function of age. Myo-inositol was found dominating the s pectra at birth (12 mmoles/kg), while choline is responsible for the s trongest peak in older infants (2.5 mmoles/kg). Creatine and N-acetyl groups are at significantly lower concentrations in the neonate than i n the adult (Cr: 6, NA: 5 mmoles/kg). NA and Cr are determined by gest ational age, whereas the concentration of ml correlates best with post natal age. Quantitative H-1 MRS is expected to be of particular value in diagnosis and monitoring of pathology in infants, since metabolite ratios are often misleading.