NALT

Preferred term

synapse

Topic

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.

synaptic vesicles

synapses (nervous system)

Use for the specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell via chemical transmitters; for the communication of neurons through direct electrical connections (electrical synapses) USE gap junctions.

Field 001 in MARC Authority Format

36600

Spanish

sinapsis

URI

https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/54683

Download this concept

Created 1/19/06, last modified 5/31/17