A new strategy for in vivo spectral editing. Application to GABA editing using selective homonuclear polarization transfer spectroscopy

A novel single-shot in vivo spectral editing method is proposed in which the signal to be detected, is regenerated anew from the thermal equilibrium magnetization of a source to which it is J-coupled. The thermal equilibrium magnetization of the signal to be detected together with those of overlapping signals are suppressed by single-shot gradient dephasing prior to the signal regeneration process. Application of this new strategy to in vivo GABA editing using selective homonuclear polarization transfer allows complete suppression of overlapping creatine and glutathione while detecting the GABA-4 methylene resonance at 3.02ppm with an editing yield similar to that of conventional editing methods. The NAA methyl group at 2.02 ppm was simultaneously detected and can be used as an internal navigator echo for correcting the zero order phase and frequency shifts and as an internal reference for concentration. This new method has been demonstrated for robust in vivo GABA editing in the rat brain and for study of GABA synthesis after acute vigabatrin administration. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.