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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Nervous and Endocrine Systems

Synapse

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ˈsɪnæps/nounCommon term

In anatomy & physiology, synapse means: The junction where a nerve cell passes a signal to another nerve cell, a muscle cell or a gland cell, usually by releasing chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.

In Turkish: sinaps

How it is used

Lectures describe the presynaptic neuron, the synaptic cleft and the postsynaptic cell. The junction between a nerve and a skeletal muscle fiber is called the neuromuscular junction. The adjective is synaptic.

Example sentences

  1. Acetylcholine is released at the synapse and binds to receptors on the next cell.

  2. Many drugs work by changing how signals cross the synapse.

Common collocations

  • synaptic cleft
  • chemical synapse
  • neurotransmitter
  • neuromuscular junction
  • neuronA nerve cell: the basic unit of the nervous system that sends and receives electrical and chemical signals. It has a cell body, dendrites that receive signals and an axon that passes them on.
  • nerveA cord-like bundle of nerve fibers (axons) that carries electrical signals between the brain or spinal cord and other parts of the body.
  • action potentialA brief electrical signal that travels along the membrane of a nerve or muscle cell. Sodium ions rush into the cell (depolarization), and then potassium ions flow out (repolarization).
  • nervous systemThe network of the brain, spinal cord and nerves that receives information, processes it and controls the body's responses by sending electrical signals.

More terms: Nervous and Endocrine Systems

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