2023 Announcment:

It is our great pleasure to announce that the 7th symposium on GABA and advanced MRS will be held at the Grand Hotel Terminus in Bergen, Norway, from September 13th to 15th 2023!

To register for this year’s symposium, please visit: https://gabasymposium2023.eventbee.com. Attendees are invited to submit an abstract and/or propose Discussion session topics.

About

An annual international symposium that invites individuals in the fields of neuroscience, physics, radiology, and many more disciplines to join together to push the boundaries of in-vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). This Symposium is an opportunity to present advanced MRS study, to a broad audience with a common interest in developing methodology and overcoming limitations.

Who is the Symposium Intended For?

All levels of MRS researchers, from undergraduate to senior faculty, are invited to attend. During the event, attendees can participate in talks from senior faculty, join brainstorming sessions, get involved with collaborative projects, present abstracts (or ongoing studies), and even reserve 1-on-1 sessions with experts to discuss ongoing projects. All accepted abstracts are presented orally, so this is a great opportunity for junior scientists to present and network within the MRS community.

When and Where?

Each year, the symposium is held late in the year and preceded by Editing School, an advanced training program. The Symposium is held in various locations across the world from Park City, Utah to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Announcements for the dates and location of the Symposium (as well as Editing School) are sent out by email at the end of January and updates are given throughout the year.

The 2023 Symposium will take place at Grand Hotel Terminus in Bergen, Norway. More about the venue:

In connection with the National Exhibition in Bergen in 1928, the city finally got its own Grand Hotel. It truly lived up to its name, and was for a long time the city's most luxurious accommodation and a source of pride for the city's population. The hotel was protected by the National Antiquities in 2012, as an outstanding example of modern hotel architecture from the 20th century.

The hotel was recently restored and renovated room by room, restaurant and reception, so that what was once the city's most distinguished hotel can once again take the throne. The qualities from the original interior have been brought out, while new elements have been added. The result is outstanding.

The hotel is a minute's walk from the Bergen train station and a 15-minute walk from the iconic wooden homes and buildings of Bryggen.

Symposium Successes

The Symposium began in 2011 with the intent to bring together individuals in the field of GABA MRS research. Out of the first meeting came, “Current practice in the use of MEGA-PRESS spectroscopy for the detection of GABA,” a highly cited and influential guide to acquiring GABA MRS data. The meeting later facilitated the success of the Big GABA and Big GABA II multi-site studies which investigated creatine- and water-referenced GABA, including ~250 study participants from over 20 research sites. Following these successes with GABA-edited spectroscopy, symposium attendees went on to organize the Comparison of Single-Voxel MRS study that investigated the popular unedited PRESS sequence across 26 research sites . Most recently, the Frequency drift at 3T study included an impressive 80 research sites to investigate the extent of frequency drift and field instability that is found over the course of intensive MR protocols. Today the symposium continues to encourage progress in MRS, standardize methodology, and has provided a supportive community for researchers in the field of MRS.