In vivo phosphorus polarization transfer and decoupling from protons in three-dimensional localized nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human brain.

Refocused insensitive nucleus enhancement by polarization transfer (RINEPT) from protons (1H) to a J-coupled phosphorus (31P) has been incorporated into three-dimensional (3D) chemical-shift-imaging (CSI) sequence on a clinical imager. The technique is demonstrated on a phantom and in in vivo human brain. The polarization-transfer efficiency (approximately 1.2) is lower than the theoretical maximum of gamma1H/gamma31P approximately 2.4 resulting from 1H-1H homonuclear J couplings of similar magnitude competing with the 1H --> 31P transfer. Nevertheless, compared with direct 31P Ernst-angle excitation, signal gains of up to x1.8 were obtained mainly as a result of T1 differences between 31P and the 1H. Spectral interpretation is simplified by editing out all non-proton-coupled 31P signals. The duration, approximately 50 min, and power deposition, approximately 1 W x kg(-1), make the application suitable for human studies.