THE SYNAPSE

ANDI CITRA PRATIWI

RISKA MINDARSARI
FITRI
ARYANTI INDAH JAYA
AGUSNIMAN HPN

DEFENITION
The word "synapse" comes from "synaptein",
coined from the Greek "syn-" ("together") and
"haptein" ("to clasp").
Synapses are junctions between neurones or
between neurones and muscles
(neuromuscular junctions).
The synapses enable the impulses are passes
from one cell to the next cell,it is where nerve
impulses convert to neurotransmitters

SYNAPSE

SYNAPTIC
TRANSMISSION
The commonest transmitter substance in excitatory
synapses is acetylcholine (ACh) and such
synapses are called cholinergic.
These include most synapses in the voluntary
nervous system, the neuromuscular junction, and
many synapses in the autonomic nervous system.

Synaptic Transmission
1.

2.

3.

4.

ACh is synthesised in synaptic vesicles from choline and

acetate under the influence of the enzyme choline
acetylase.
ATP from the numerous mitochondria present supplies
the energy for this.
When an impulse reaches a synaptic knob, the
depolarisation causes some of the vesicles to rupture,
releasing ACh into the synaptic cleft.
The ACh attaches to specific receptors on the post-synaptic
membrane and makes it permeable to sodium ions.

5. These flood into the neurone, causing a post synaptic

potential and depolarisation.
6. The enzyme acetylcholine esterase, present on neurone
membranes and on muscle sarcolemmas, then detaches ACh
from the receptors and hydrolyses it to acetate and choline.
7. The acetylcholine is then actively (hence, the
mitochondria) reabsorbed back into the synaptic knob for
recycling.
8. Thus, the post-synaptic membrane is now impermeable to
sodium ions again and repolarisation can occur due to
potassium ion outflow.
9. Once the refractory period is over, the synapse can transmit
another impulse.

1. Action potential arrives at

terminal button
Vesicle storing
neurotransmitter

Ca2+
channel

Membrane receptor
for neurotransmitter

3. Ca2+ stimulates
vesicles to fuse
with membrane

2. Depolarisation
opens Ca2+ channels
Ca2+ enters terminal
button

Ca2+

Ca2+

Ca2+

Ca2+

4. Exocytosis of
neurotransmitter
It diffuses 20nm across
the synaptic cleft

The passage across the

synapse

An action potential travels down an axon to the

terminal buttons or synaptic knobs at the end
The action potential depolarises the membrane of
a terminal button causing voltage-gated Ca2+
channels to open
Ca2+ ions flood into the terminal button
This stimulates hundreds of synaptic vesicles,
packed with neurotransmitter, to fuse with the
membrane of the terminal button
By exocytosis
The Ca2+ ions are then pumped out again

5. Neurotransmitter
receptor sites on the
postsynaptic membrane
are ion channels.
They open when the
neurotransmitter binds

6. Localised
depolarisation as
ions leak in or out
of membrane.

The passage across the

synapse

The neurotransmitter diffuses across cleft to

postsynaptic membrane
The neurotransmitter molecules bind with
specific receptor sites on postsynaptic
membrane
The receptor sites are part of a ligand-gated ion
channel
These channels let Na+ ions in or K+ ions out
causing localised depolarisation of the
membrane

7. Action potential
generated which
travels down the
postsynaptic cell.

8. Neurotransmitter
destroyed by
enzymes in the cleft.
Stops signal being
perpetuated.

A new action potential

If the localised depolarisations build up to the

nerve cell threshold, a full action potential will be
produced
This will travel away, down the postsynaptic
neurone
The action of the neurotransmitters stops:
(i) as they dilute by diffusion in the synaptic cleft
(ii) by hydrolysis through the action of enzymes
there
Important: The signal must not be perpetuated
indefinitely

The neuromuscular junction

is a synapse
The motor end plate is the terminal button
of a motor neurone that makes contact
with a muscle cell
The motor end plate releases the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine that
ultimately causes the muscle cell to
contract

Motor end plates

NEUROTRANSMITTER YANG UTAMA DIKENAL

Neurotransmitter

Golongan Fungsional

Tempat Sekresi

Asetilkolin

Eksitatoris pada otot rangka

vertebrata; aksitatoris atu
inhibitoris pada tempat lain

Sistem saraf pusat; saraf tepi;

persambungan pada
neuromuskuler vertebrata

Norepiefrin

Eksitatoris atau inhibitoris

Sistem saraf pusat (SSP);

sistem saraf tepi (SST)

Dopamin

Umumnya eksitatoris; bisa

inhibitoris pada beberapa
tempat

SSP; SST

Serotonin

Umumnya inhibitoris

SSP

GABA

Inhibitoris

SSP; persambungan
neuromuskular invertebrata

Glisin

Inhibitoris

SSP

Glutamat

Eksitatoris

SSP; persambungan
neuromuskular invertebrata

Aspartat

Eksitatoris

SSP