Synaptic cleft | Synapses

Synaptic cleft

The synaptic cleft is a part of the synapse and names the area between two consecutive nerve cells. This is where signal transmission with action potentials takes place. If the synapse is a motor end plate, i.e. the transition between nerve cells and the synaptic cleft, the signal transmission takes place.and muscle cell the same term is used.

As can be seen from the word “gap”, there is a space between the cells, so there is no direct contact. On one side of the synaptic gap is the presynapse. This is where the electrical signal from the preceding nerve cell arrives.

It leads to the release of neurotransmitters from the vesicles, i.e. it is converted into a chemical signal. These then migrate through the synaptic cleft and reach the postsynaptic membrane of the downstream cell. This is where the other side of the synaptic cleft is located.

Receptors in the membrane convert the signal into an electrical signal again and thus reach the second nerve cell. The excitation was thus transmitted. The neurotransmitters are for example acetylcholine, serotonin or dopamine.

Synapse Toxins – Botox