when a neuron is stimulated and causes depolarization of the nerve, what occurs?
A typical neuron has characteristic features: a cell body, dendrites and an axon. The axon projects from the cell body and makes contact with a target cell at the synapse. A neuron is stimulated by signals, chemical and electrical, to initiate an action potential (a rapid and reversible change in membrane potential). In the absence of a signal, the resting potential of the neuron is maintained by the potassium leak channels, which allow the flow of potassium ions out of the cell, resulting in a more negative charge in the cell when compared to outside the cell.