High‐field proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human cerebrum obtained during surgery for epilepsy

Abstract

We analyzed specimens of histologically normal human cerebrum obtained at surgery for medically refractory epilepsy using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Perchloric acid extracts of anterolateral temporal lobe cortex contained greater concentrations of creatine, N-acetylaspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, alanine, and glutamate than the under lying white matter, which contained more acetate. Frontal and temporal lobe specimens composed of both gray and white matter failed to show statistically significant differences in the concentrations of creatine, N-acetylaspartate, alanine, aspartate gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, glycine, taurine, threonine, valine, acetate, choline, beta-hydroxybutyric acid, inositols, lactate pyruvate, or succinate.