Assessment of normal fetal brain maturation in utero by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Cerebral maturation in the normal human fetal brain was investigated by in utero localized proton MR spectroscopy (1H MRS). Fifty‐eight subjects at 22–39 weeks of gestational age (GA) were explored. A combination of anterior body phased‐array coils (four elements) and posterior spinal coils (two to...

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Published in:Magnetic resonance in medicine 2006-10, Vol.56 (4), p.768-775
Main Authors: Girard, Nadine, Gouny, Sylviane Confort, Viola, Angèle, Le Fur, Yann, Viout, Patrick, Chaumoitre, Kathia, D'Ercole, Claude, Gire, Catherine, Figarella-Branger, Dominique, Cozzone, Patrick J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - physiology
Algorithms
Aspartic Acid - analogs & derivatives
Aspartic Acid - metabolism
Brain - embryology
Brain - metabolism
Brain Chemistry
Engineering Sciences
Female
fetal brain
Fetal Development - physiology
Gestational Age
Humans
Linear Models
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - methods
maturation
MR spectroscopy
MRI
Other
Pregnancy
prenatal development
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Summary:Cerebral maturation in the normal human fetal brain was investigated by in utero localized proton MR spectroscopy (1H MRS). Fifty‐eight subjects at 22–39 weeks of gestational age (GA) were explored. A combination of anterior body phased‐array coils (four elements) and posterior spinal coils (two to three elements) was used. Four sequences were performed (point‐resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence with short and long TEs (30 and 135 ms), with and without water saturation). A significant reduction in myo‐inositol (myo‐Ins) and choline (Cho) levels, and an increase in N‐acetylaspartate (NAA) and creatine (Cr) content were observed with progressing age. A new finding is the detection of NAA as early as 22 weeks of GA. This result is probably related to the fact that oligodendrocytes (whether mature or not) express NAA, as demonstrated by in vitro studies. Cho and myo‐inositol were the predominant resonances from 22 to 30 weeks and decreased gradually, probably reflecting the variations in substrate needed for membrane synthesis and myelination. The normal MRS data for the second trimester of gestation (when fetal MRI is usually performed) reported here can help determine whether brain metabolism is altered or not, especially when subtle anatomic changes are observed on conventional images. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ISSN:0740-3194
1522-2594
DOI:10.1002/mrm.21017