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Concept information

Preferred term

synapse

Type

  • Topic

Definition

  • Information Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell.

Narrower concepts

Synonyms

  • synapses (nervous system)

Scope note

  • Use for the specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell via chemical transmitters; for the communication of neurons through direct electrical connections (electrical synapses) USE gap junctions.

In other languages

URI

https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/54683

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 1/19/06, last modified 5/31/17