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Overview |
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Scientists and clinicians around the globe use magnetic resonance
spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate basic and clinical questions about
neurotransmitter function in humans and in animals. Measurements of
regional concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate, GABA, glutamate, high
energy phosphates, and other neurochemicals are becoming rapidly
available for use in clinical trials. New approaches such as
13C-labeled MRS are used to probe basic mechanisms of
neurotransmission and neuropsychiatric disorders. This workshop is
intended both as a forum for methodological education on MRS and for
the exchange of ideas about using MRS in clinical practice and basic
research. Key outcomes of this workshop will be: a) Identification of optimal strategies for MRS acquisition, analysis, and quality control (or more briefly: applications) in a patient environment. b) Identification and description of neurochemical features of neuropsychiatric disorders that are detectible with MRS and may be responsive to disease progression and its treatment. c) Practical methodological education for users of this technology, as provided by experts in various techniques of data acquisition and analysis. |
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AUDIENCE DESCRIPTION This workshop is designed for physicians and psychologists who have specialized or are specializing in psychiatry. They may be faculty, fellows, residents, or other post-doctoral trainees, and currently carry out research on a broad range of neuropsychiatric diseases. Attendees will have an interest in brain imaging in psychiatric diseases (such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, and others), many with a goal of quantitative measures to relate to clinical symptoms. While for most, the level of involvement with MRS will vary from only a strong interest in future use of the techniques, to several years of collaborative applications of MRS to neuropsychiatric disorders, some attendees may have even more extensive experience. |
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EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this workshop participants should be able to do the following: 1. Be totally familiar with the concentrations and types of neurochemicals whose measurements are feasible at different field strengths, and particularly on the equipment at their home institutions. Identify the key neurochemicals from their locations and line shapes in the proton spectrum from brain; 2. List which neurotransmitters in neuropsychiatric disorders can be measured with MRS and what requirements exist for their measurement; 3. Contrast the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to spectroscopic imaging, and single voxel spectroscopy; 4. Predict the volumes and acquisition times required for a given measurement sensitivity; 5. Explain the procedural and equipment procedures necessary for 13C MRS studies; 6. Articulate the general equipment requirements for the useful measurement of key neurochemicals seen from the spectra of different nuclei; 7. Describe the procedures necessary to ensure consistent quality within the laboratory and between different measurement sites; and 8. Evaluate the technical aspects of grants and manuscripts that use MRS as a source of clinical data, including MRS acquisition and processing. |
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