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GCSE Psychology · key term
The junction between neurons, including the small gap across which chemical messages pass.
Used by AQA and OCR
Paper 2
A junction between neurons, including the sending membrane, the synaptic cleft and the receiving membrane.
Revise: Neuron Structure and FunctionAt a synapse, there is a tiny gap called the synaptic cleft between the sending and receiving cells. The sending neuron is presynaptic; the receiving neuron is postsynaptic.
Paper 1
Link each developmental stage to a specific change: prenatal neuron formation, childhood synapse formation and pruning, or adolescent differences in the maturation of brain regions.
Distinguish electrical impulses within neurons from chemical communication across synapses.
Explain the full link from a drug’s action at the synapse to improved symptoms. Naming dopamine or serotonin alone does not explain how treatment works.
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A junction between neurons where signals can pass through the release of neurotransmitters across a small gap.
At a synapse, an electrical signal reaching one neuron’s ending causes neurotransmitter to be released into the small gap between neurons. Dopamine crosses this gap and binds to matching receptors on the receiving neuron, affecting its activity. Communication is therefore electrical within the neuron and chemical across this gap.
The junction between neurons, including the small gap across which neurotransmitters carry a signal.
A junction between neurons where a neurotransmitter carries a chemical signal across a small gap.
