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The Synapse

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.

Electrical Synapses

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...

Chemical Synapses

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

Chemical Synapses

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

Overview of Synapses

Overview of Synapses

A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...

Mutations

Mutations

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

The Eloquent Silent Synapse.

Philippe Vincent-Lamarre¹, Michael Lynn¹, Jean-Claude Béïque²

¹University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute's Center for Neural Dynamics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; These authors contributed equally to this work.

Trends in Neurosciences

|August 26, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) research faced a debate on whether it was pre- or postsynaptic. Two 1995 papers resolved this by redefining assumptions, offering an elegant solution to a complex neuroscience problem.

Keywords:

AMPA receptors CA1 hippocampus plasticity postsynaptic synapses

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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

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Published on: January 4, 2010

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions

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Published on: April 23, 2021

Quantifying Synapses: an Immunocytochemistry-based Assay to Quantify Synapse Number

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Published on: November 16, 2010

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Synaptic Plasticity
Molecular Neuroscience

Background:

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a key mechanism for synaptic plasticity.
Debate existed in the 1990s regarding whether LTP was pre- or postsynaptic.
Contradictory experimental findings created a significant impasse in the field.

Purpose of the Study:

To resolve the debate on the locus of LTP expression.
To re-evaluate fundamental assumptions in synaptic plasticity research.
To provide a unifying explanation for conflicting experimental data.

Main Methods:

Review and reinterpretation of existing experimental data.
Theoretical redefinition of synaptic potentiation mechanisms.
Analysis of critical findings from two pivotal 1995 publications.

Main Results:

The 1995 papers offered a new framework for understanding LTP.
A resolution to the pre- vs. postsynaptic dichotomy was achieved.
Previously contradictory results were reconciled under the new model.

Conclusions:

The impasse in LTP research was overcome through revised theoretical assumptions.
A more integrated understanding of synaptic plasticity mechanisms emerged.
This work redefined the direction of future neuroscience research on memory and learning.