GAVA: spectral simulation for in vivo MRS applications

An application that provides a flexible and easy to use interface to the GAMMA spectral simulation package is described that is targeted at investigations using in vivo MR spectroscopic methods. The program makes available a number of widely used spatially localized MRS pulse sequences and NMR parameters for commonly observed tissue metabolites, enabling spectra to be simulated for any pulse sequence parameter and viewed in an integrated display. The application is interfaced with a database for storage of all simulation parameters and results of the simulations. This application provides a convenient method for generating a priori spectral information used in parametric spectral analyses and for visual examination of the effects of difference pulse sequences and parameter settings.