Homeostasis and Metabolism

Research Works

Principal investigator(s) : Wafaa Zaaraoui

In vivo and non-invasive visualization of brain metabolic processes are enabled by MRI and MR spectroscopy (MRS). UHF with its increased SNR enables higher spatial and spectral resolution which translates to increased sensitivity for low-concentration molecules like neurotransmitters and other metabolites associated with tissue function and metabolism facilitating their investigation by MRS (mainly 1H MRS but also 31P MRS). In addition, imaging of nuclei other than 1H such as sodium (23Na), also benefits from UHF and the associated increased SNR. While imaging of these X-nuclei nuclei poses various physical and technical challenges requiring additional hardware (e.g., radiofrequency coils) and software (e.g., pulse sequences and dedicated post-processing methods), these nuclei play major roles in human biology which renders in vivo imaging of these nuclei highly desirable. We work at rendering 23Na MRI and 31P MRS, promising biomarkers, to real clinical markers for neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in neurological diseases.

Representative publications

Distribution of brain sodium long and short relaxation times and concentrations: a multi-echo ultra-high field ²³Na MRI study. Ridley B, Nagel AM, Bydder M, Maarouf A, Stellmann JP, Gherib S, Verneuil J, Viout P, Guye M, Ranjeva JP, Zaaraoui W.Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 12;8(1):4357. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22711-0

Dynamic ²³Na MRI – A non-invasive window on neuroglial-vascular mechanisms underlying brain function. Bydder M, Zaaraoui W, Ridley B, Soubrier M, Bertinetti M, Confort-Gouny S, Schad L, Guye M, Ranjeva JP.Neuroimage. 2019 Jan 1;184:771-780. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.071. Epub 2018 Oct 4

Evidencing different neurochemical profiles between thalamic nuclei using high resolution 2D-PRESS semi-LASER (1)H-MRSI at 7 T. Donadieu M, Le Fur Y, Confort-Gouny S, Le Troter A, Guye M, Ranjeva JP.MAGMA. 2016 Jun;29(3):491-501. doi: 10.1007/s10334-016-0556-1. Epub 2016 Apr 8.

Fast water concentration mapping to normalize (1)H MR spectroscopic imaging. Lecocq A, Le Fur Y, Amadon A, Vignaud A, Cozzone PJ, Guye M, Ranjeva JP.MAGMA. 2015 Feb;28(1):87-100. doi: 10.1007/s10334-014-0451-6. Epub 2014 Jun 8.