Transmission at a synapse
1. Electrical impulses cannot ‘jump’ across synapses
2. When an electrical impulse arrives at the end of the axon on the presynaptic neuron, chemical messengers called neurotransmitters are released from vesicles at the presynaptic membrane
3. Neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and temporarily bind with receptor molecules on the postsynaptic membrane
4. This stimulates the postsynaptic neuron to generate an electrical impulse that then travels down the axon of the postsynaptic neuron
5. The neurotransmitters are then destroyed or recycled to prevent continued stimulation of the second neuron, which could cause repeated impulses to be sent