Robin A. de Graaf, PhD

Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Biomedical Engineering

Contact

Address:
Yale University, School of Medicine
Magnetic Resonance Research Center
TAC, N145, 300 Cedar Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8043
United States

Email: robin.degraaf@yale.edu
Telephone: (203) 785-6203
Fax: (203) 785-6643

Education

PhD Utrecht University, The Netherlands in in vivo NMR.
Graduation December 7, 1998 (cum laude)

MS Utrecht University, The Netherlands in Chemistry specializing in in vivo NMR. Graduation August 28, 1993 (cum laude)

Please click here for Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

The main focus of my research is the study of cerebral energy metabolism and its relationship to functional activation in human and animal brains. NMR spectroscopy (proton, (inverse) carbon-13, oxygen-17 and phosphorus-31) is the most important tool in the study of metabolic processes and fluxes, non-invasively in vivo. Besides studying brain energy metabolism, a significant part of the research is reserved for technological and methodological improvements to the technique of NMR spectroscopy. These include methods for better water suppression, spatial localization, spectral editing, quantification, and shimming.

The current focus of my research covers three areas. Developing methods to achieve magnetic field uniformity throughout the human and animal brain are central to the technological innovation of my research. The problem of magnetic field inhomogeneity is tackled through dynamic shimming and through the use of electrical coil and passive shim element arrays. ¹³C NMR methods have been pioneered at the Yale MRRC and part of my research is to extend those methods to achieve 3D coverage, higher sensitivity (through ¹H detection), and higher specificity (e.g., GABA turnover detection). Finally, the field of ¹⁷O NMR appears promising for fast and sensitive mapping of a variety of metabolic fluxes. Research covers the synthesis of ¹⁷O-labeled compounds, the development of novel ¹⁷O MR methods, and the in vivo detection of ¹⁷O label turnover.

Selected Publications

1. R. A. de Graaf, G. F. Mason, A. B. Patel, D. L. Rothman, K. L. Behar, Regional glucose metabolism and glutamatergic neurotransmission in rat brain in vivo, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 12700-12705 (2004).
2. R. A. de Graaf, Theoretical and experimental evaluation of broadband decoupling techniques for in vivo NMR spectroscopy, Magn. Reson. Med. 53, 1297-1306 (2005).
3. K. M. Koch, S. McIntyre, T. W. Nixon, D. L. Rothman, R. A. de Graaf, Dynamic shim updating on the human brain, J. Magn. Reson. 180, 286-296 (2006).
4. K. M. Koch, P. B. Brown, D. L. Rothman, R. A. de Graaf, Sample-specific diamagnetic and paramagnetic passive shimming, J. Magn. Reson. 182, 66-74 (2006).
5. R. A. de Graaf, D. L. Rothman, K. L. Behar, High resolution NMR spectroscopy of rat brain in vivo through indirect zero-quantum-coherence detection, J. Magn. Reson. 187, 320-326 (2007).
6. Q. Qin, M. Does, J. C. Gore, R. A. de Graaf, 2D arbitrary shape selective excitation summed spectroscopy (ASSESS), Magn. Reson. Med. 58, 19-26 (2007).
7. T. W. Nixon, S. McIntyre, D. L. Rothman, R. A. de Graaf, Compensation of gradient-induced magnetic field perturbations, J. Magn. Reson. 192, 209-217 (2008).
8. R. A. de Graaf, P. B. Brown, D. L. Rothman, K. L. Behar, Natural abundance 17O NMR spectroscopy of rat brain in vivo, J. Magn. Reson. 193, 63-67 (2008).

For a further list of de Graaf's publications, please see PubMed.

Current and Former Trainees

Graduate Students:

• Qin Qin, Multidimensional RF pulse design, Graduation: 2006 (BME)
• Kevin M. Koch, Physics of MR with an emphasis on shimming, Graduation: 2006 (Physics)
• Laura I. Sacolick, MR spectroscopic imaging technique development, Gradutation: 2008 (BME)
• Jet van der Zijden, MRS and MRI of experimental stroke, Graduation date: 2008 (Utrecht University)
• Pieter van Eijsden, MRS and MRI of experimental epilepsy, Graduation date: 2009 (Utrecht University)

Post-doctoral Associates

• June Watzl, 2003 - 2004
• Christop Juchem, 2007 - 2008