What happens at the synapse between two neurons?

When an electrical signal reaches the end of one nerve cell, it releases chemicals that float across a tiny gap and start a new signal in the next nerve cell.

A synapse is the junction between two neurons. When an electrical impulse reaches the axon terminal of the first neuron: 1. The electrical signal cannot jump across the gap (synaptic cleft). 2. The impulse triggers the release of chemical substances called neurotransmitters from vesicles at the axon terminal. 3. These neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse and bind to specific receptors on the dendrites of the next neuron. 4. This binding generates a new electrical impulse in the next neuron, which then travels along its axon. 5. The neurotransmitters are then broken down or reabsorbed to prevent continuous stimulation. This chemical transmission ensures that nerve impulses travel in one direction only.