The Probert Encyclopaedia of Medicine

SYNAPSE

The synapse is a specialized region where one nerve signal jumps form one nerve cell to another. It is the site of communication between two nerve cells. A tiny gap, called the synaptic gap, extists between cells. A nerve impulse must pass through the synaptic gap via the release of transmitter substances to be transmitted from one nerve cell to another. At the tip of the axon are tiny secretory cups, or vesicles, which produce a trace of a chemical substance known as a neurotransmitter when the electrical impulses reach them. Neurotransmitters then diffuse across the synapse and excite the dendrites of the next cell to induce a new electrical impulse in their cell. The process continues down the chain. Nerve impulses flow only in one direction and are subject to fatigue, oxygen deficiency, anesthetics and other chemical agents.
Research Synapse