Towards a high-resolution Neuro 31P-MRS at 3T

Motivation: For 31P-MRSI, it hard to keep a good balance between the scan time, scan resolution and accurate qualification of different metabolites at 3T. Goal(s): To get a high-resolution 31P-MRSI protocol with reasonable scan time. Also evaluate the influence of NSAs on different metabolites. Approach: Five healthy volunteers underwent high-resolution 31P scanning with 8 number of signal averages. The Cramer-Rao Lower Bounds (CRLBs) for different NSAs were estimated for different metabolites. Results: Recommended NSAs for different Metabolites of concern could be obtained with CRLB. In our case, NSA of 2 may be suitable for most of the metabolites with a reasonable scan time. Impact: This study optimized a high-resolution neuro 31P protocol via CRLB simulation. Suggested NSA numbers were provided for different metabolites and different brain regions.