Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging of Brain Plasticity

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and their applications in the study of brain plasticity, with a focus on key metabolic biomarkers related to neuroplasticity and recent technological advances. The fundamental principles of MRS and MRSI and their capabilities for estimating brain metabolites are first described, followed by a review of the progress of MRSI as a neuroimaging tool. MRS/MRSI studies of neuroplasticity in the developing brain, in brain injury, and in the context of neuromodulation are also discussed. The chapter concludes by pointing to recent advances in ultrafast, high-resolution whole-brain MRSI, which are expected to provide further insights into the molecular foundations of brain plasticity in future research.