Dynamic Measurement of Brain Metabolism in Schizophrenia

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this R21/R33 proposal is to apply a very rapid Magnetic Resonance (MR) data accumulation method, which we have recently developed! in order to obtain dynamic metabolic data over periods as short as 10-120s after presenting either a continuous or a pulsed stimulus, and thus be able to demonstrate transient temporal dynamic changes in several selected metabobites, that could not be detected otherwise. We have elected to apply this method to the evaluation of patients with schizophrenia by using a 3 Tesla MR scanner to determine whether dynamic changes in metabolites differentiate these patients from normal controls. We anticipate that this new dynamic analytical technique will provide a new tool to visualize a previously unavailable dynamic dimension of brain activity and that it will thus improve our understanding of the disease process. In addition, this technique will provide a new rapid method for evaluation of drug effects, and a potential method for detecting very early stages of the disease prior to the manifestation of a full-blown psychosis.