Nerve synapses, computer artwork. square sticker

AssetID: 122375044 / {LAGUNA DESIGN} / Nerve synapses, computer artwork. _x000D_ _x000D_ In the nervous system , a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell (neural or otherwise). The word "synapse" comes from "synaptein", which Sir Charles Scott Sherrington and colleagues coined from the Greek "syn-" ("together") and "haptein" ("to clasp"). _x000D_ Synapses are essential to neuronal function: neurons are cells that are specialized to pass signals to individual target cells, and synapses are the means by which they do so. At a synapse, the plasma membrane of the signal-passing neuron (the presynaptic neuron) comes into close apposition with the membrane of the target (postsynaptic ) cell. Both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites contain extensive arrays of molecular machinery that link the two membranes together and carry out the signalling process. In many synapses, the presynaptic part is located on an axon , but some presynaptic sites are located on a dendrite or soma . _x000D_ There are two fundamentally different types of synapses: _x000D_ Synaptic communication is distinct from ephaptic coupling , in which communication between neurons occurs via indirect electric fields. _x000D_ _x000D_ This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.