Communication: partial polarization transfer for single-scan spectroscopy and imaging.

A method is presented to partially transfer nuclear spin polarization from one isotope S to another isotope I by the way of heteronuclear spin couplings, while minimizing the loss of spin order to other degrees of freedom. The desired I spin polarization to be detected is a design parameter, while the sequence of pulses at the two Larmor frequencies is optimized to store the greatest unused S spin longitudinal polarization for subsequent use. The unitary evolution for the case of I(N)S spin systems illustrates the potentially ideal efficiency of this strategy, which is of particular interest when the spin-lattice relaxation time of S greatly exceeds that of I.

Nanoscale torsional resonator for polarization and spectroscopy of nuclear spins.

We propose a torsional resonator that couples to the transverse spin dipole of an attached sample. The absence of relative motion eliminates a source of friction that would otherwise hinder nanoscale implementation. Enhanced spontaneous emission induced by the resonator relaxes the longitudinal spin dipole at a rate of ∼1  s⁻¹ in the low-temperature limit.

A selective 15N-to-(1)H polarization transfer sequence for more sensitive detection of 15N-choline.

The sensitivity and information content of heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance is frequently optimized by transferring spin order of spectroscopic interest to the isotope of highest detection sensitivity prior to observation. This strategy is extended to 15N-choline using the scalar couplings to transfer polarization from 15N to choline's nine methyl 1H spins in high field. A theoretical analysis of a sequence using nonselective pulses shows that the optimal efficiency of this transfer is decreased by 62% as the result of competing 15N-(1)H couplings involving choline's four methylene protons.

Fast volumetric spatial-spectral MR imaging of hyperpolarized 13C-labeled compounds using multiple echo 3D bSSFP.

Purpose: The goal of this work was to develop a fast 3D chemical shift imaging technique for the noninvasive measurement of hyperpolarized (13)C-labeled substrates and metabolic products at low concentration.

Materials And Methods: Multiple echo 3D balanced steady state magnetic resonance imaging (ME-3DbSSFP) was performed in vitro on a syringe containing hyperpolarized [1,3,3-2H3; 1-(13)C]2-hydroxyethylpropionate (HEP) adjacent to a (13)C-enriched acetate phantom, and in vivo on a rat before and after intravenous injection of hyperpolarized HEP at 1.5 T.

Hyperpolarized (1)H NMR employing low gamma nucleus for spin polarization storage.

Here, we demonstrate the utility of low gamma nuclei for spin storage of hyperpolarization followed by proton detection, which theoretically can provide up to approximately (gamma[1H]/gamma[X])(2) gain in sensitivity in hyperpolarized biomedical MR. This is exemplified by hyperpolarized 1-(13)C sites of 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl 1-(13)C-propionate-d(3) (TFPP), (13)C T(1) = 67 s in D(2)O, and 1-(13)C-succinate-d(2), (13)C T(1) = 105 s in D(2)O, pH 11, using PASADENA. In a representative example, the spin polarization was stored on (13)C for 24 and 70 s, respectively, while the samples were transferred from a low magnetic field polarizer operating at 1.

PASADENA hyperpolarization of succinic acid for MRI and NMR spectroscopy.

We use the PASADENA (parahydrogen and synthesis allow dramatically enhanced nuclear alignment) method to achieve 13C polarization of approximately 20% in seconds in 1-13C-succinic-d2 acid. The high-field 13C multiplets are observed as a function of pH, and the line broadening of C1 is pronounced in the region of the pK values. The 2JCH, 3JCH, and 3JHH couplings needed for spin order transfer vary with pH and are best resolved at low pH leading to our use of pH approximately 3 for both the molecular addition of parahydrogen to 1-13C-fumaric acid-d2 and the subsequent transfer of spin order from the nascent protons to C1 of the succinic acid product.

Towards hyperpolarized (13)C-succinate imaging of brain cancer.

We describe a novel (13)C enriched precursor molecule, sodium 1-(13)C acetylenedicarboxylate, which after hydrogenation by PASADENA (Parahydrogen and Synthesis Allows Dramatically Enhanced Nuclear Alignment) under controlled experimental conditions, becomes hyperpolarized (13)C sodium succinate. Fast in vivo 3D FIESTA MR imaging demonstrated that, following carotid arterial injection, the hyperpolarized (13)C-succinate appeared in the head and cerebral circulation of normal and tumor-bearing rats. At this time, no in vivo hyperpolarized signal has been localized to normal brain or brain tumor.