Purpose: The aim of the work was to share the practical experience of preclinical and clinical proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HMRS) studies conducted using a 7-Tesla magnetic field strength scanner, taking into account the specificity of both settings in the context of translational research.
Material and methods: 1HMRS volunteer studies conducted using a Discovery 950 GE 7T scanner, were carried out with PRESS sequence, and a VOI measuring 2.0 × 2.0 × 2.0 cm3 placed in the white matter at the parietal occipital lobe. Rodent spectra obtained using a 7T Bruker were measured with PRESS, with a VOI 2.0 × 2.0 × 5.5 mm3 placed over the hippocampus.
Results: 1HMRS data from humans and rats show that the brain spectra obtained in the same field are characterised by a similar neurochemical structure and spectral resolution. Spectra obtained from rats demonstrate the following metabolites: NAA, Glu, Gln, Ins, Cho, Cr, PCr, Tau, GABA, Lac, NAAG, and Asp. In turn, spectra from humans allowed estimation of the following metabolites: Ala, NAA, Glu, Gln, Ins, Cho, Cr, PCr, Tau, GABA, Lac, NAAG, and Asp. Signals from Gln, Glu with chemical shift around 2.4 ppm, from Cr, PCr, and GABA at 3 ppm, and signals from Cho and Tau at approximately 3.2 ppm, can be properly separated and estimated both in humans and in rats.
Conclusions: These results are promising in terms of broadening the knowledge of many neurological diseases by inducing them on animal models and then transferring this knowledge to clinical practice. In spite of this, important distinctions in the technical aspects and methodological differences of high-field 1HMRS in both preclinical and clinical conditions should be taken into account.
Keywords: 1HMRS (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy); UHF (ultra-high field); translational research.