Rapid acquisition diffusion MR spectroscopy of metabolites in human brain

Few studies have focused on metabolite diffusion in the human brain using 1H‐MRS due to significant technical challenges. Moreover, such studies have required lengthy acquisition times and are therefore impractical to implement clinically. By first characterizing and then minimizing the effects of linear and oscillating eddy currents, which arise from the diffusion gradients, and by implementing phase‐cycle and slice‐order strategies, as well as introducing a new phase‐alignment methodology, we report a method that allows data acquisition requiring 20 seconds per spectrum. This remained feasible, even for b‐values >8000 s/mm2, with a rapid acquisition diffusion MRS methodology. It has allowed the nonlinear characterization of signal intensity with multiple b‐values, and has improved the measurement of rotationally invariant diffusion parameters via six‐direction, six b‐value diffusion tensor spectroscopy (DTS) in 12 minutes at 4.7 T. The shorter DTS acquisition will enable its application to white matter regions not aligned with the gradients and permit clinical studies in a feasible time. Brain metabolite diffusion using 1H‐MRS poses significant technical challenges. Studies have long acquisition times and are impractical to implement clinically. We report a number of strategies that speed up data acquisition to 20 seconds per spectrum, for b‐values >8000 s/mm2, with a rapid acquisition diffusion MRS methodology. This has allowed the nonlinear characterization of signal intensity with multiple b‐values, and has improved the measurement of rotationally invariant diffusion parameters via six‐direction, six b‐value diffusion tensor spectroscopy in 12 minutes at 4.7 T.