The advantages and limitations of permanent or reversible deactivation techniques in the assessment of neural function.

This review considers the different forms of reversible deactivation and how they differ from each other and from more conventional permanent deactivation methods. The different methods of chemical and cooling reversible inactivation and the limitations of each are discussed. Finally, future directions in the quest to localize brain function in the experimental animal are considered and how this work relates to emerging non-invasive imaging techniques presently being used with humans.