Synapse

Cancer Terms -> Anatomic Structure System or Substance -> Body Part -> Cell Part -> Cell Junction -> Synapse

Synapse Definition

Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate through direct electrical connections which are sometimes called electrical synapses.

Synapse Synonyms

Synapse

Terms in Synapse category

Axoaxonic Synapse
Axodendritic Synapse
Axosomatic Synapse
Chemical Synapse
Dendrodendritic Synapse
Electrical Synapse