Neurons communicate with other cells at synapses.
Like wires in your home's electrical system, nerve cells make connections with one another in circuits called neural pathways. Like wires in your home's electrical system, nerve cells make connections with one another in circuits called neural pathways.
Neurons communicate with other cells at synapses. The vast majority of synapses are chemical synapses, which involve the release of a chemical neurotransmitter by the presynaptic neuron. The presynaptic neuron synthesizes the neurotransmitter and packages it in synaptic vesicles, which are stored in the neuron's synaptic terminals. Hundreds of synaptic terminals may interact with the cell body and dendrites of a postsynaptic neuron.
Unlike wires in your home, nerve cells do not touch, but come close together at synapses. At the synapse, the two nerve cells are separated by a tiny gap, or synaptic cleft. The sending neuron is called the presynaptic cell, while the receiving one is called the postsynaptic cell. Nerve cells send chemical messages with neurotransmitters in a one–way direction across the synapse from presynaptic cell to postsynaptic cell.