Evaluation of retrospective frequency drift correction methods for single-voxel MR spectroscopy at 7T

Motivation: Retrospective methods to correct frequency drifts has been evaluated at 3T systems but not at 7T systems, where the line-broadening effect may degrade the performance of the correction. Goal(s): To evaluate retrospective frequency drift correction methods at 7T using simulations and human spectra. Approach: The frequency correction methods were applied to the simulated spectra and human spectra at 7T to evaluate the accuracy of the frequency drift estimates and the spectral linewidth after the correction. Results: Among these methods, the spectral registration method showed a more accurate estimate of the frequency drift and a larger improvement of spectral linewidth. Impact: 7T offers a high sensitivity to detect weakly represented metabolites/neurotransmitters that are relevant to studying neurological and mental disorders. This study addresses frequency drift correction for accurate, consistent metabolite/neurotransmitter quantifications and may help expand the applications of MRS at 7T.