Integrated Automated Software Tools for Fast Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Spect

描述（由申请人提供）：质子磁共振波谱成像（MRSI）允许在体内测定各种神经化学物质的区域分布。MRSI提供的病理特异性和固有的定量信息应有助于了解各种神经系统疾病的机制，并改善患者管理。尽管磁共振成像的应用已经得到证实，但由于缺乏快速和自动的磁共振成像分析工具，它并没有被常规使用。为了克服这些限制和利用磁共振成像的力量，本应用程序建议开发一种快速和自动化的软件包，用于确定质子mrs上观察到的脑代谢物的绝对浓度。所提出的快速、强大和自动化的分析软件包将免费提供给用户。该软件是基于人工神经网络的。它已被证明是快速和健壮的。为了考虑多个组织对给定光谱体素的贡献，该软件包括快速图像分割技术，并将其与核磁共振成像分析软件相结合。快速分割技术是基于相敏反演恢复成像序列，允许在相敏和大小模式下重建图像，表现出明显不同的组织对比度。为了更广泛地使用神经影像学社区，该软件将在PC平台上开发并分发。公共卫生相关性：本申请是为了响应RFA对神经信息学工具的开发，以服务于神经影像学社区。该软件将允许神经科学家和临床医生分析质子核磁共振成像数据，以确定各种神经系统疾病如何影响大脑区域代谢分布。这些信息对于深入了解疾病过程非常重要，也可作为改进患者管理的诊断工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) allows the in vivo determination regional distribution of various neurochemicals. The pathologic specificity and inherently quantitative information provided by MRSI should help understand the mechanisms involved in various neurological disorders and improve patient management. In spite of its demonstrated use, MRSI is not routinely used because of lack of fast and automatic MRSI analysis tools. In order to overcome these limitations and exploit the power of MRSI, this application proposes to develop a fast and automated software package for determining the absolute concentrations of brain metabolites that are observed on proton MRS. The proposed fast, robust, and automated analysis software package will be freely available to users. This software is based on artificial neural networks. It has been demonstrated to be fast and robust. In order to account for the contribution of multiple tissues to a given spectroscopic voxel, the software includes fast image segmentation technique and combines it with the MRSI analysis software. The fast segmentation technique is based on phase sensitive inversion recovery imaging sequence that allows the reconstruction of images in phase sensitive and magnitude modes that exhibit dramatically different tissue contrasts. For wider use by the neuroimaging community, this software will be developed on a PC platform and distributed. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposed application is in response to the RFA for the development of Neuroinformatic tools to serve the neuroimaging community. The proposed software would allow both neuroscientists and clinicians to analyze the proton MRSI data to determine how various neurological disorders affect the regional metabolic distribution in brain. This information would be important for gaining an insight into the disease processes and also serve as diagnostic tool for improved patient management.