taugamóti

Taugamóti is the junction through which a nerve cell communicates with another neuron or with an effector cell, such as a muscle or gland. In the nervous system, signals are typically transmitted across chemical synapses, although electrical synapses also exist in some circuits.

A typical chemical synapse comprises a presynaptic terminal with neurotransmitter-filled vesicles, a narrow synaptic cleft, and a postsynaptic membrane that bears receptors. When an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal, voltage-gated calcium channels open, calcium enters, vesicles fuse with the membrane, and neurotransmitters are released into the cleft.

Neurotransmitters diffuse across the cleft and bind to receptors on the postsynaptic cell, producing excitatory or inhibitory effects. Examples include glutamate (generally excitatory) and GABA or glycine (inhibitory), with acetylcholine playing a key role at many neuromuscular synapses. The strength and probability of transmission can be modulated by neuromodulators, receptor density, and the timing of signals.

Synapses are capable of plasticity, changing their strength through short-term processes such as facilitation and depression or long-term changes known as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). These forms of plasticity, along with structural remodeling, support learning, memory, and developmental refinement of neural circuits.

Clinical relevance includes a wide range of conditions in which synaptic transmission is disrupted, such as neuromuscular disorders (myasthenia gravis), neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric disorders. Therapies often target synaptic components, including neurotransmitter release, receptor activity, or enzymatic breakdown.

The concept of the synapse was established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by researchers such as Charles Sherrington and Santiago Ramón y Cajal, laying the foundation for modern neuroscience.