This diagram covers Explore: Inside a Synapse within Nervous System for GCSE Biology. Topic 2: Nervous System It is section 5 of 18 in this topic. Focus on the labels, the relationships between parts, and the explanation that turns the diagram into an exam-ready answer.
⚡ Explore: Inside a Synapse
Tap each dot to see how the chemical messenger crosses from one neurone to the next.
How a synapse works (4 steps):
- An electrical impulse arrives at the end of the first neurone (pre-synaptic neurone).
- This triggers the release of neurotransmitters from tiny vesicles into the synaptic cleft.
- The neurotransmitters diffuse across the gap and bind to specific receptor proteins on the next neurone.
- This binding triggers a new electrical impulse in the second neurone (post-synaptic neurone).
Why synapses matter: Synapses ensure signals travel in one direction only (neurotransmitters are only released from the pre-synaptic side). They also allow signals to be amplified, inhibited, or combined from multiple neurones — this is how the brain processes complex information.
Practice questions for Nervous System
What are the two organs that make up the central nervous system (CNS)?
Explain how a signal is transmitted across a synapse from one neurone to the next.