Six fucose-α(1-2) sugars and α-fucose assigned in the human brain using in vivo two-dimensional MRS.

A growing body of literature has indicated that fucose-α(1-2)-galactose sugars are implicated in the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuronal development, learning and memory in the human brain. An understanding of the in vivo roles played by these terminal fucose residues has been hampered by the lack of technology to non-invasively monitor their levels in the human brain. We have implemented in vivo two-dimensional MRS technology to examine the human brain in a 3-T clinical MR scanner, and report that six fucose-α(1-2)-galactose residues and free α-fucose are available for inspection. Fucose-α(1-3)-galactose residues cannot yet be assigned using this technology as they resonate under the water resonance. This new application offers an unprecedented insight into the molecular mechanisms by which fucosylated sugars contribute to neuronal processes and how they alter during development, ageing and disease.