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Descriptor English: Synapses
Descriptor Spanish: Sinapsis
Descriptor sinapsis
Scope note: Uniones especializadas mediante las cuales una neurona se comunica con una célula diana. En las sinapsis típicas la terminal presináptica de la neurona libera un transmisor químico almacenado en vesículas sinápticas que se difunde a través de una estrecha hendidura sináptica y activa receptores situados en la membrana postsináptica de la célula diana. La diana puede ser una dendrita, un cuerpo celular o el axón de otra neurona, o una región especializada de una célula muscular o secretora. Las neuronas también pueden comunicarse por medio de conexiones eléctricas directas, denominadas SINAPSIS ELÉCTRICAS; existen otros procesos de transmisión de señales químicas o eléctricas no sinápticas vía interacciones extracelulares.
Descriptor Portuguese: Sinapses
Descriptor French: Synapses
Entry term(s): Synapse
Tree number(s): A08.850
A11.284.149.165.420.780
RDF Unique Identifier: https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D013569
Scope note: Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate via direct electrical coupling with ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. Several other non-synaptic chemical or electric signal transmitting processes occur via extracellular mediated interactions.
Annotation: note specifics; IMMUNOLOGICAL SYNAPSES is also available; / physiol: consider also SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION; do not confuse with SYNAPSIS see CHROMOSOME PAIRING
Allowable Qualifiers: CH chemistry
CL classification
DE drug effects
EN enzymology
GE genetics
IM immunology
ME metabolism
MI microbiology
PA pathology
PH physiology
PS parasitology
RE radiation effects
UL ultrastructure
VI virology
Related: Gap Junctions MeSH
Synaptic Transmission MeSH
Synaptosomes MeSH
DeCS ID: 13949
Unique ID: D013569
NLM Classification: WL 102.8
Documents indexed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL): Click here to access the VHL documents
Date Established: 1966/01/01
Date of Entry: 1999/01/01
Revision Date: 2008/07/08
Synapses - Preferred
Concept UI M0020950
Scope note Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate via direct electrical coupling with ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. Several other non-synaptic chemical or electric signal transmitting processes occur via extracellular mediated interactions.
Preferred term Synapses
Entry term(s) Synapse



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