Improved surface coil design and pulse sequence development for in vivo 13C MR spectroscopy of humans at 7T

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a non-invasive tool for the study of human diseases. In particular, carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C MRS) is a promising derivative tool for investigating metabolism in vivo, as it allows the non-invasive measurement of complex molecules in living organs, such as glycogen macromolecule in human muscle. The use of high magnetic field strength benefits the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution, at the expense of requiring high transmitted power. As of today, the application of 13C MRS to humans is currently performed at low magnetic field strength (i.e. 3T), while its applications at high field is still limited due to methodological aspects. This thesis focuses in investigating the feasibility 13C MRS into clinical applications at high field (i.e. 7T) by measuring glycogen in human muscle, as a step towards clinical 13C MRS in human brain.