Detecting Phosphorous in Myelin via Water: A Proof-of-Principle Breakthrough Towards a New Contrast Technique

Motivation: Developing a technique capable of more precisely detecting myelin is crucial for diagnosing and tracking myelin-based disorders. Goal(s): To develop a novel technique that probes phosphorous nuclei located within myelin, via hydrogen detection in water molecules. Approach: Combine cross polarization and magnetization transfer to transfer polarization from phosphorous nuclei in myelin to hydrogen nuclei in water by means of encode and decode gradients for signal isolation using porcine white matter. Results: The results convincingly demonstrate the successful detection of phosphorous signals via aqueous hydrogen. This lays the groundwork towards more-specific myelin quantification in MRI. Impact: This breakthrough enables specific detection of myelin phospholipids with MRI, potentially leading to earlier diagnoses and better tracking of myelin-based conditions. It opens new avenues for research and development of more precise imaging techniques for neurological disorders.