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An electrical synapse is a gap junction that can transmit action potentials between neurons. Such synapses create bidirectional continuous-time electrical coupling [ 12 ] [ 13 ] between neurons. Connexon pairs act as generalized regulated gates for ions and smaller molecules between cells.
An electrical synapse, or gap junction, is a mechanical and electrically conductive synapse, a functional junction between two neighboring neurons. The synapse is formed at a narrow gap between the pre- and postsynaptic neurons known as a gap junction .
In the case of electrical synapses, neurons are coupled bidirectionally with each other through gap junctions and have a connected cytoplasmic milieu. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] These types of synapses are known to produce synchronous network activity in the brain, [ 5 ] but can also result in complicated, chaotic network level dynamics.
An electrical synapse is an electrically conductive link between two abutting neurons that is formed at a narrow gap between the pre- and postsynaptic cells, known as a gap junction. At gap junctions, cells approach within about 3.5 nm of each other, rather than the 20 to 40 nm distance that separates cells at chemical synapses.
These gap junctions allow for virtually instantaneous transmission of electrical signals through direct passive flow of ions between neurons (transmission can be bidirectional). The main goal of electrical synapses is to synchronize electrical activity among populations of neurons. [ 3 ]
Electrical synapses are characterized by the formation of gap junctions that allow ions and other organic compound to instantaneously pass from one cell to another. [2] Chemical synapses are characterized by the presynaptic release of neurotransmitters that diffuse across a synaptic cleft to bind with postsynaptic receptors.
A gap junction modulator is a compound or agent that either facilitates or inhibits the transfer of small molecules between biological cells by regulating gap junctions. [1] Various physiological processes including cardiac , neural or auditory , depend on gap junctions to perform crucial regulatory roles, and the modulators themselves are the ...
Gap junctions are often present at nerve endings such as in cardiac muscle and are important in maintaining homeostasis in the liver and proper function of the kidneys. The gap junction itself is a structure that is a specialized transmembrane protein formed by a connexon hemichannel. [ 8 ]