Upcoming Workshops

ISMRM 2024 Workshop on MR Spectroscopy: Frontiers in Molecular
& Metabolic Imaging

From 15 – 18 Oct, over 200 researchers worldwide joined this workshop hosted just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and MRS imaging (MRSI) can image up to 20 metabolites in the brain and other organs, to assess both their concentrations and dynamic conversion vs. functional activity and/or tissue health, probing metabolic rates that are not typically accessible by other imaging techniques. This workshop addressed these topics in 8 sessions that covered the current status of MR spectroscopy molecular and metabolic imaging from basics of acquisition and reconstruction to advanced state-of-the art techniques.
Bruker was honored to join as a sponsor, and also excited that three members of our scientific and development teams could participate. This also included a presentation on the capabilities of Bruker preclinical MRI instruments for 1H- and 13C-based MRSI, and on the new dissolution DNP instrument to enable hyperpolarized 13C metabolites.
The advantages of higher fields for SNR and simplification of j-coupled spectral patterns for increased spatial and temporal resolution as well as the ability to identify a larger number of molecules were discussed along with the challenges of the need for higher bandwidths and homogeneous B0 and B1. The strengths of the acquisition and preparation techniques PRESS, STEAM, sLASER, VAPOR, SPECIAL, ISIS, DEPT, POCE, MEGA for SVS and EPSI, spiral, CRT (Concentric Ring Trajector), and PETALUTE for MRSI were explained and compared. For undersampling, ECCENTRIC (ECcentric Circle ENcoding TRajectories for Compressed Sensing) was presented as a promising alternative to SENSE, GRAPPA CAIPIRINHA and incoherent undersampling (Compressed Sensing).
In addition to more-widespread 1H-based MRS/MRSI, the conference also covered many applications with 13C. Ultrasensitive methods, such as dissolution DNP (Dynamic Nuclear Polarization), that enable tracking dilute 13C-enriched metabolites via DNP hyperpolarization of the 13C spin magnetization and allow unique interrogation of altered metabolism in a variety of cancers, as well as brain, cardiac and other tissues vs. inflammation or damage were presented.
For processing of data, the individual components of a standard processing pipeline where evaluated and contain data handling, combination of RF coil signal, phase alignment, eddy current compensation, nuisance signal removal with AI-based approaches such as Deep JPRESS, TensorFit, LIPNET, Deep-MRS, and WALINET, and spectral fitting and quantification.
A specific session addressed techniques and applications for preclinical MRS also demonstrating the impact of anesthesia on neuronal activity and metabolism using a 11.7T BioSpec and Bold fMRI/MRS, 19F spectroscopy (Halothane), and 13C MRS (alpha-chloralose).
The important topic of standardization and the fact that spectral quality differs substantially depending on measurement and postprocessing techniques and sequence details such as RF pulse shapes and sequence timings was discussed. For the common localization techniques PRESS, STEAM, sLASER and preparations like MEGA, VAPOR and OVS consensus papers are published specifying sequence and experimental parameter settings to harmonize sequences across-vendors. Published consensus papers cover proton single voxel spectroscopy, water and lipid suppression techniques, preprocessing, analysis and quantification in single voxel spectroscopy, spectral editing in proton spectroscopy, B0 shimming, and motion correction.
To increase collaboration, the Collaborative Multi-Center Pre-Clinical MRS Study (CoMP-MRS) was presented. This forum fosters pre-clinical MRS community communication and collaboration by elaborating evidence-based recommendations for 1H MRS preclinical acquisitions, providing standardized processing and quantification tools, and improving data quality and reproducibility with standardized protocols. More information can be found under https://www.epfl.ch/labs/mrs4brain/links/standardized-preclinical-mrs-a-multi-center-study

ISMRM Workshop on Current Issues in Brain Function
The ISMRM Workshop on Current Issues in Brain Function took place from September 4^th to 6^th, 2023 in Pauda, Italy. Researchers from around the world gathered to discuss neuroscience questions and disease patterns. fMRI and its contribution to the understanding of how brain activity relates to cognition and behavior, how it changes during development and ageing, and how it is altered in disease states played a prevent role in the discussions. Highlights were findings from studies where fMRI was combined with electrophysiology or opto- or chemo-genetic stimulation. Considering the fact that BOLD is only an indirect measure of neuronal activity, the presented Direct Imaging of Neural Activity (DIANA), was taken under the loop. Focus was also placed on data acquisition, processing, standardization, and modeling, with the general feeling that data should be shared. A presentation of ongoing community efforts in standardizing the acquisition and analysis of fMRI data addressed this need.