synapse

Also known as GO:0045202, synapses, synaptic junction, synaptic

right|thumb|400px|Diagram of a chemical synaptic connection

AI overview

I don't have sufficient context to write an accurate overview. The provided material only shows an image caption indicating there is a diagram of a chemical synaptic connection, but contains no explanatory text about what a synapse is or why it matters. To write an accurate, fact-based overview, I would need contextual information that actually defines and explains synapses.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

147,306 papers

The cell biology of synapse formation.ReviewThe Journal of cell biology · 2021Südhof TCDOI: 10.1083/jcb.202103052
Synapse pathology in Alzheimer's disease.ReviewSeminars in cell & developmental biology · 2023Griffiths J, Grant SGNDOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.028
Synapse organizers as molecular codes for synaptic plasticity.ReviewTrends in neurosciences · 2023Connor SA, Siddiqui TJDOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.08.001
Astrocyte-secreted neurocan controls inhibitory synapse formation and function.Neuron · 2024Irala D, Wang S, Sakers K et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.03.007
Complement C1q-dependent excitatory and inhibitory synapse elimination by astrocytes and microglia in Alzheimer's disease mouse models.Nature aging · 2022Dejanovic B, Wu T, Tsai MC et al.DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00281-1
Synapse vulnerability and resilience across the clinical spectrum of dementias.ReviewNature reviews. Neurology · 2025Taddei RN, Duff KEDOI: 10.1038/s41582-025-01094-7
Synapse vulnerability and resilience underlying Alzheimer's disease.ReviewEBioMedicine · 2025Taddei RN, E Duff KDOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105557
Astrocyte-dependent circuit remodeling by synapse phagocytosis.ReviewCurrent opinion in neurobiology · 2023Park J, Chung WSDOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102732

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Synapse neuro-neuronale.png

Show 4 more facts

Commons gallery: Synapse
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0045202
Commons category: Synapses
time of discovery or invention: 1897-00-00

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

~21 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

History
Types
Excitatory and inhibitory
Interfaces
Conversion of chemical into electrical signals
Release of neurotransmitters
Synaptic polarization
Presynaptic modulation
Effects of drugs on ligand-gated ion channels
Biogenesis
Role in memory
Potentiation and depression
Mechanism of protein kinase
Experimental models
Synapses and diseases
Additional images
See also
References

right|thumb|400px|Diagram of a chemical synaptic connection

In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that allows a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron or a target effector cell. Synapses can be classified as either chemical or electrical, depending on the mechanism of signal transmission between neurons. In the case of electrical synapses, neurons are coupled bidirectionally with each other through gap junctions and have a connected cytoplasmic milieu. These types of synapses are known to produce synchronous network activity in the brain, but can also result in complicated, chaotic network level dynamics. Therefore, signal directionality cannot always be defined across electrical synapses.