Functional and Metabolic Imaging Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy

Technical advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have provided researchers with the opportunity to study changes of the central nervous system (CNS) and improve diagnosis and therapy of CNS disease. New MRI and MRS techniques specifically designed for functional MRI (fMRI) and MRS imaging of the CNS will be evaluated in normal volunteers and in patients with CNS diseases. This study will develop and evaluate new magnetic resonance pulse sequences for performing MRI or MRS and compare the results to existing MR techniques.

Patients and volunteers age 18 and older are eligible for the study. A history will be taken in which exclusion criteria (such as having a pacemaker or cochlear implants) will be addressed, and a pregnancy test will be administered to women of childbearing age. Each subject will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire.

Study participants will lie in the MRI scanner from 20 minutes to 2 hours. A coil may be placed on the head and participants may be asked to do simple or complex tasks. A catheter will be placed in an arm vein and a contrast agent will be administered. This agent will allow structures in the brain to show up more clearly.