In this study, we aim to develop and optimize MRSI techniques to provide, for the first time, a study of the 3D distribution of metabolite levels in the newborn brain. This information will define the normal variation in metabolite levels with anatomic location and post-conceptional age. The database of normal MRSI spectra will improve our understanding of brain development and provide a reference for detecting abnormal metabolism in neonatal patients with neurologic damage. We are also developing new MR diffusion imaging techniques to assess the location, integrity and direction of white matter pathways before and after mylenation. In this project we will define normal development of these neuronal tracts and detect developmental abnormalities.
Current methods are inaccurate for assessing the cerebral metabolism of newborns.
Through this project, we aim to develop noninvasive metabolic and functional imaging techniques to address this important problem.