News tagged with synapses
Related topics: brain , nerve cells , neurons , protein , memory
Chemical synapse
Chemical synapses are specialized junctions through which neurons signal to each other and to non-neuronal cells such as those in muscles or glands. Chemical synapses allow neurons to form circuits within the central nervous system. They are crucial to the biological computations that underlie perception and thought. They allow the nervous system to connect to and control other systems of the body.
The adult human brain is estimated to contain from 1014 to 5 × 1014 (100-500 trillion) synapses.[citation needed] Each mm3 of cerebral cortex contains roughly a billion of them.
The word "synapse" comes from "synaptein", which Sir Charles Scott Sherrington and colleagues coined from the Greek "syn-" ("together") and "haptein" ("to clasp"). Chemical synapses are not the only type of biological synapse: electrical and immunological synapses also exist. Without a qualifier, however, "synapse" commonly means chemical synapse.
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Researchers identify how cells control calcium influx
(Medical Xpress)—When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through which these molecules enter the cells. Until now, the "stop" signal mechanism that cells ...
Neuroscience
May 09, 2013 |
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Scientists identify important regulator for synapse stability and plasticity
(Medical Xpress)—Using the fruit fly as a model organism, neurobiologists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research have identified the L1-type CAM neuroglian as an important regulator ...
Neuroscience
Apr 25, 2013 |
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