synapse

(sĭn′ăps )

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[Gr. synapsis, point of contact]
The space between the junction of two neurons in a neural pathway, where the termination of the axon of one neuron comes into close proximity with the cell body or dendrites of another. The electrical impulse traveling along a presynaptic neuron to the end of its axon releases a chemical neurotransmitter that stimulates or inhibits an electrical impulse in the postsynaptic neuron; synaptic transmission is in one direction only. Synapses are susceptible to fatigue, offer a resistance to the passage of impulses, and are markedly susceptible to the effects of oxygen deficiency, anesthetics, and other agents, including therapeutic drugs and toxic chemicals.
SYN: SEE: synapsis (1); synaptic cleft

SYNAPSE Axon terminal synapse



SYNAPSE Transmission at an excitatory synapse (arrow indicates direction of impulse)

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