Chapter 45.2, Problem 1CS

Summary Introduction

To explain: The role of voltage-gated ${\text{Ca}}^{\text{2+}}$ channels in cell-to-cell communication.

Introduction: A synapse is defined as a junction where an axon terminal meets another neuron, muscle cell or gland cell. Neurons communicate with other cells at a synapse. An electrical or chemical signal passes from an axon terminal of the neuron to the plasma membrane of the nearby cell at a synapse. The signals are transferred from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell. In a chemical synapse, a neurotransmitter is released from an axon terminal. It acts as a signal from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell.