The synapse is responsible for transmission of nerve impulses. Synapses are sites of functional contact between neurons or between neurons and other effector cells (eg, muscle and gland cells). The function of the synapse is to convert an electrical signal (impulse) from the presynaptic cell into a chemical signal that acts on the postsynaptic cell. Most synapses transmit information by releasing neurotransmitters during the signaling process.
The synapse itself is formed by an axon terminal (presynaptic terminal) that delivers the signal, a region on the surface of another cell at which a new signal is generated (postsynaptic terminal), and a thin intercellular space called the synaptic cleft.
If an axon forms a synapse with a cell body, the synapse is called axosomatic; if it forms a synapse with a dendrite, it is called axodendritic; and if it forms a synapse with an axon, it is called axoaxonic .
SYNAPSES-Histology of Nervous System