Assessment of neural function with reversible deactivation method

Several of the papers presented in this Special Issue were derived from a s ymposium entitled Reversible Inactivation of Cerebral Network Components he ld at the European Forum on the Neurosciences in Strasbourg, France in Sept ember, 1996. It was organized by Bertram R. Payne (Boston University School of Medicine) and was sponsored by the European Neuroscience Association. F ollowing the symposium, Drs. Stephen G. Lomber and Bertram R. Payne organiz ed the participants in the symposium as well as a broader group of investig ators with expertise with related techniques, to contribute articles to the current Special Issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Methods. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the contents and themes presen ted by the contributors and to encourage investigators to adopt these power ful techniques to probe neural circuitry. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.