The crystallographic slip activity in several grains deformed by simple tension is determined by use of in-situ deformation in combination with Electron back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD)-investigations and Secondary Electron (SE) imaging. This technique is also used to determine grain lattice rotation paths of grains with different initial orientation, providing information on basic deformation mechanisms of grains present in texture gradients. Both slip activity and grain lattice rotation paths depend on the initial orientation and are influenced by the neighbouring grain orientations. This indicates that predictions of the forming behaviour of extruded profiles with a strong through thickness texture gradient relate to a very complex nature.