sodium amytal test: anesthetize one hemisphere and check for language function; dichotic listening test: report more digits heard by dominant half; functional brain imaging: fMRI or PET used to see which half is active when performing a language test speech laterality and handedness sex differences in brain lateralization
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.
A neuron transports its information by way of an action potential. When the nerve impulse arrives at the synapse, it may cause the release of neurotransmitters, which influence another (postsynaptic) neuron. The postsynaptic neuron may receive inputs from many additional neurons, both excitatory and inhibitory.