Virtual Lesions: Examining Cortical Function with Reversible Deactivation

The study of brain lesions and their impact on cognition and behavior has been the dominant tool used to examine the complex function of the brain for the last three centuries. By testing neuropsychological deficits that correlate with a lesion in a particular part of the brain, it is possible to hypothesise about the role and cognitive function of that individual brain area. Over the past several decades, the rapid development and implementation of many new technologies to visualize brain activity has greatly augmented our understanding of brain function. However, even now there are many experimental questions that are difficult, if not impossible to answer in any way other than lesion techniques. Such studies though are not without their own challenges to overcome such as lesion-induced neuroplasticity, widespread degenerative changes, and the permanent nature of a lesion. Recent developments in different fields of neuroscience have provided tools to overcome many of the problems rel

Stephen Lomber, Cerebral systems laboratory, University of Texas at Dallas, USA. Ralf Galuske, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany.