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Diagram of a chemical synaptic connection. In the nervous system, a synapse [1] is a structure that allows a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or a target effector cell. Synapses can be classified as either chemical or electrical, depending on the mechanism of signal transmission between neurons.
A diagram of the proteins found in the active zone. The active zone is present in all chemical synapses examined so far and is present in all animal species. The active zones examined so far have at least two features in common, they all have protein dense material that project from the membrane and tethers synaptic vesicles close to the membrane and they have long filamentous projections ...
The synaptic cleft—also called synaptic gap—is a gap between the pre- and postsynaptic cells that is about 20 nm (0.02 μ) wide. [12] The small volume of the cleft allows neurotransmitter concentration to be raised and lowered rapidly.
Neurons form complex biological neural networks through which nerve impulses (action potentials) travel. Neurons do not touch each other (except in the case of an electrical synapse through a gap junction); instead, neurons interact at close contact points called synapses. A neuron transports its information by way of an action potential.
This bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons add complexity to brain signaling, with implications for brain function and neurological disorders. [10] [11] Enzyme degradation – proteins called enzymes break the neurotransmitters down. Reuptake – neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron.
The basic kinds of connections between neurons are synapses: both chemical and electrical synapses. The establishment of synapses enables the connection of neurons into millions of overlapping, and interlinking neural circuits. Presynaptic proteins called neurexins are central to this process. [5]
Acetylcholine (ACh) is an excitatory, small-molecule neurotransmitter involved in synaptic transmission at neuromuscular junctions controlling the vagus nerve and cardiac muscle fibers, as well as in the skeletal and visceral motor systems and various sites within the central nervous system. [3]
Synaptic vesicle components in the presynaptic neuron are initially trafficked to the synapse using members of the kinesin motor family. In C. elegans the major motor for synaptic vesicles is UNC-104. [11] There is also evidence that other proteins such as UNC-16/Sunday Driver regulate the use of motors for transport of synaptic vesicles. [12] 2.