Development of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging Techniques for Imaging Metabolites in Human Brain and Muscle

Background: \- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used scanning technique to obtain images of the human body and evaluate activity in the brain. A particular MRI method called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can be used to study brain chemistry as well, which may help researchers who are studying new treatments for psychiatric illnesses. Researchers are interested in improving current MRI and MRS techniques, as well as developing new MRI and MRS techniques to view and measure brain chemicals and brain activity. Objectives: \- To implement, develop, and optimize brain chemistry imaging techniques using magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Eligibility: \- Healthy individuals between 18 and 65 years of age. Design: * This study will involve a screening visit and a scanning visit at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. * Participants will be screened with a full medical and physical examination, blood and urine tests, and neurological testing. * During the second visit, participants will have an MRI scan of the brain. (Participants who have received an MRI within the past year will not need to have a second one; the images of the previous scan will be used for this study.) All participants will then have an MRS scan using the same scanning equipment.

NCT Number	NCT01266577
Lead Sponsor	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Conditions	Brain Mapping, Healthy Volunteer
Enrollment	300 participants
Start Date	2011-01-27
Primary Completion	2026-10-23 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-10-23 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-07-02