Inter-individual differences in T1, T2, and proton density using quantitative synthetic imaging for 1H-MRS quantification

Leech, S. A., Manske, S. L., Mullins, P. G., Bell, T. K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-706X and Harris, A. D. (2026) Inter-individual differences in T1, T2, and proton density using quantitative synthetic imaging for 1H-MRS quantification. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. ISSN 1522-2594 doi: 10.1002/mrm.70254

Abstract/Summary

Purpose: Metabolite concentrations can be determined from proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) data using water as an internal reference. This calculation requires tissue-specific water T1 and T2 relaxation constants and proton density (PD). Although literature values are commonly used, these vary with age and within clinical conditions, potentially introducing variability or masking metabolite effects. The introduction of rapid multi-dynamic multi-echo (MDME) imaging to generate multiparametric maps allows fast measurement of these parameters for each individual within a single acquisition. Methods: 1H‐MRS and MDME data were collected from 26 healthy volunteers (aged 18-40 years). The agreement between metabolite concentrations derived using individually measured T1, T2 and PD values and literature-based values was assessed. A sensitivity analysis was also used to determine the impact of extended value ranges on metabolite concentrations. Results: Using a MDME sequence to determine individually measured T1, T2 and PD values for tissue correction was successful. Strong agreement between metabolite concentrations calculated using literature and measured values was seen, although concentrations calculated using literature values tended to be slightly lower than when using measured values. The sensitivity analysis showed T1 relaxation contributed most strongly to the calculated concentration variability. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a MDME acquisition to acquire individual- specific parameters values for tissue correction. This provides a fast, effective method to acquire individual relaxation parameters, which will be highly relevant for populations where these parameters will vary (such as the elderly, paediatrics or with clinical diagnoses).

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/128488
Identification Number/DOI	10.1002/mrm.70254
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Publisher	Wiley
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