Synapses Flashcards

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What is a synapse?

A synapse is the tiny gap between two neurones where a nerve signal passes across.

What is the main job of a synapse?

Its job is to let a nerve impulse pass from one neurone to the next neurone.

What type of signal moves along a neurone, and what type crosses a synapse?

An electrical impulse moves along a neurone, and a chemical signal crosses a synapse.

What are neurotransmitters?

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that carry the signal across a synapse.

What happens when an impulse reaches the end of a neurone at a synapse?

The neurone releases neurotransmitter, which carries the signal across the gap to the next neurone.

How do neurotransmitters move across the synapse?

They diffuse across the tiny gap from the first neurone to the next neurone.

Why can nerve impulses only travel one way across a synapse?

Only the first neurone releases neurotransmitter, and only the next neurone has the right receptors.

What happens to neurotransmitters after they have passed on the message?

They are broken down or taken back into the first neurone so the signal stops.

How do synapses affect the speed of messages in a nerve pathway?

Each synapse slows the message slightly, so a pathway with many synapses is slower.

Which parts of two neurones form a synapse?

The end of the axon of one neurone and the dendrite or cell body of the next neurone.