Der Radiologe
-
With an increasingly aging population we are faced with the problem of an increasing number of dementia patients. In addition to clinical, neuropsychological and laboratory procedures, MRI plays an important role in the early diagnosis of dementia. ⋯ Overall the diagnosis of dementia can be improved by using parameters from MR spectroscopy. This article focuses on MR spectroscopic changes in the physiological aging process as well as on changes in mild cognitive impairment a precursor of Alzheimer's dementia, in Alzheimer's dementia, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.
-
MR spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive method for investigating tissue metabolism. In the clinical setting proton spectroscopy based on the hydrogen nucleus ((1)H) is primarily used for determining concentrations of important brain metabolites. This paper illustrates the physicochemical principles of MRS and the requirements for high quality spectra. Moreover, different techniques for acquiring localized spectra are demonstrated.