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. 1991 Aug 1;88(15):6810–6814. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.15.6810

Free magnesium levels in normal human brain and brain tumors: 31P chemical-shift imaging measurements at 1.5 T.

J S Taylor 1, D B Vigneron 1, J Murphy-Boesch 1, S J Nelson 1, H B Kessler 1, L Coia 1, W Curran 1, T R Brown 1
PMCID: PMC52178  PMID: 1650484

Abstract

We have studied a series of normal subjects and patients with brain tumors, by using 31P three-dimensional chemical shift imaging to obtain localized 31P spectra of the brain. A significant proportion of brain cytosolic ATP in normal brain is not complexed to Mg2+, as indicated by the chemical shift delta of the beta-P resonance of ATP. The ATP beta-P resonance position in brain thus is sensitive to changes in intracellular free Mg2+ concentration and in the proportion of ATP complexed with Mg because this shift lies on the rising portion of the delta vs. Mg2+ titration curve for ATP. We have measured the ATP beta-P shift and compared intracellular free Mg2+ concentration and fractions of free ATP for normal individuals (n = 6) and a limited series of patients with brain tumors (n = 5). In four of the five spectra obtained from brain tissue containing a substantial proportion of tumor, intracellular free Mg2+ was increased, and the fraction of free ATP was decreased, compared with normal brain.

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Selected References

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