Gap junctions in the brain: where, what type, how many and why?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Single-cell Microinjection for Cell Communication Analysis
Published on: February 26, 2017
1Dept of Anatomy, University of Regensburg, FRG.
Abstract:
Gap junctions represent well-documented means of intercellular communication in various tissues, including the brain, where they function as portals allowing the exchange of electrolytes, second messengers and metabolites between cells. In view of the enormous recent surge of information dealing with the cellular and molecular biology of gap junctions in non-nervous tissue, as well as current interest in the cell biology of glia, this review is intended to provide an overview of the molecular and functional implications of gap-junction-mediated intercellular communication in the nervous system.
Related Concept Videos
Gap Junctions
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...
Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions
Occluding or Tight Junctions
Tight...
Gap Junctions
Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions
Occluding or Tight Junctions
Tight...
Overview of Synapses

