ABSOLUTE QUANTITATION OF WATER AND METABOLITES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN .1. COMPARTMENTS AND WATER

A method is presented to determine the compartmentation of a localized region in the human brain in terms of CSF, tissue water, and an NMR-invisible rest, using a PRESS or STEAM sequence. Discrimination between CSF and tissue water is based on differences in their T2 relaxation times. The NMR-invisible compartment is assessed using an external standard. The composition of three regions in the human brain is determined. The CSF content of specific regions can be used to quantify cortical atrophy. The method provides a means for measuring the water content of brain tissue in vivo with a precision of 1.5%. After appropriate corrections, the results are in close agreement with biochemical values. The method has major applications in localized quantitative spectroscopy. The compartmentation model can be used to correct for the CSF content of the selected volume and to properly define and interconvert all major concentration units. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.