the synapse

synaptic transmission

the process by which neibouring neurons communicate with eachother by sending chemical messages across the gap (synaptic cleft)

  1. the electric nerve impulse travels down the neuron and prompts release of the neurotransmitters at the pre-synaptic terminal

  2. these chemicals r then released into the synaptic fluid in the synapse

  3. the adjacent neuron then takes up the NTs from the fluid and convert them into an electrical impulse to travel down the neuron to the next per-synaptic terminal

  4. therefore the impulse continues to be transmitted. This is at high speeds for example processing visual infomation it is encoded in the first 50-100 milliseconds of activity

the signal starts as a electrical impulse but cant diffuse across the synapse so it changes to a chemical to it can diffuse across the synapse to be released by the next neuron

= channels open

= positive charge

electrical impulse (down axon) —> neuron charge —> positive charge —>neurotransmitters

absorbed by next neuron ← ventures across the synapse ← released (synaptic vessles)
or broken down by enzymes

or reabsorbed

synapse

neurotransmitter

brain chemicals released from synaptic vessles that relay signals across the synapse from one neuron to another.