Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Juxtasomal Biocytin Labeling to Study the Structure-function Relationship of Individual Cortical Neurons
Published on: February 25, 2014
Gap junctions between dendrites and somata of neurons in the primate sensori-motor cortex
Abstract:
Gap junctions have been found infrequently between two dendrites or a dendrite and a cell soma in the deep layers of both the motor and somatic sensory cortices of the primate. At these junctions the outer leaflets of the plasma membranes of both profiles are intimately apposed with a gap of 2 nm between them which shows a structure of hexagonal subunits in tangential sections. These gap junctions occur mainly between the dendrites or dendrites and somata of large stellate cells but are also associated in some examples with a dendro-dendritic synapse and thus occur between large stellate dendrites and presynaptic dendrites; a desmosome may also occur in association with a gap junction and dendro-dendritic synapse. Gap junctions have been identified as sites of electrical transmission between cells in a number of sites and it is therefore suggested that some neurons in the sensori-motor cortex are electrotonically couples.
More Related Videos
10:24Electrophysiological and Morphological Characterization of Neuronal Microcircuits in Acute Brain Slices Using Paired Patch-Clamp Recordings
Published on: January 10, 2015
09:17Subcellular Patch-clamp Recordings from the Somatodendritic Domain of Nigral Dopamine Neurons
Published on: November 2, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Gap Junctions
Synaptic Signaling
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
Electrical Synapses
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...
Gap Junctions
The Neuromuscular Junction
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex