Skeletal muscle MRS and MRI
We are specialised in dynamic in vivo multi-nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging. Our focus is on skeletal muscle energy metabolism and perfusion.
Skeletal muscle phosphate kinetics
Skeletal muscle can ramp up its energy turnover by orders of magnitude. Exercise recovery during ³¹P MRS is uniquely suited to study cellular mitochondrial function, glycolysis and proton kinetics in situ. We develop and combine imaging and spectroscopy techniques and dedicated RF coils to locally measure ATP, phosphocreatine (PCr) and pH directly in the exercising muscle in real time.
Skeletal muscle perfusion
Blood flow and capillary perfusion deliver nutrients and oxygen to the muscle and help dispose metabolic products. Perfusion deficits or ischaemia can cause severe disorders and lead to immobilsation, infection and reduced healing. Transient ischaemia can be induced safely by pressure cuffs. Perfusion rates can change dramatically between these impaired states and maximal exercise in healthy tissue.
Arterial spin labeling (ASL) tags and traces arterial blood spins. Our developed sequences generate perfusion data every few seconds allowing time-resolved measurements without external contrast agents, simultaneously with metabolic information from spectroscopy.
Skeletal muscle perfusion
We have investigated and applied measurements of intracellular muscle fat (IMCL) which are sensitive markers of insulin sensitivity, impairment of which is a precursor and feature of diabetes mellitus. Muscle glycogen is stored and used as a sugar reservoir under high work load and anaerobic metabolism. Under these hypoxic conditions, lactate accumulates and can be quantified using special spectral editing techniques.
Researcher Groups
Schmid group | Meyerspeer group