Talk:Synapse

New intro figure
I would like to put a new figure I made as the main synapse figure, Synapse figure.png. It is the first image in additional images. I will do it in a week unless someone objects. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Studentne (talk • contribs) 14:43, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

History of the synapse
It might be nice to have a history of the concept of the synapse, perhaps drawing from Bennet (1999) The early histroy of the synapse: from Plato to Sherrington. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6SYT-3XNJV2B-2&_user=128590&_coverDate=09%2F15%2F1999&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1403948088&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000010619&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=128590&md5=0604f9d5a4a3c6ec33fc9eca5afa69ef#toc5 I was surprised to learn that even part way through the 20th century, the concept of neurotransmitters wasn't widely accepted.Keepstherainoff (talk) 16:42, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Purpose of this page?
Why does this page exist when it's basically all covered in more detail by the page Chemical synapse?147.153.84.5 (talk) 17:43, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The problem is that it isn't all covered in the chemical synapse article -- that article doesn't deal with electrical synapses. I am sympathetic to the idea that we might not be handling this in the right way, but it isn't trivial to figure out the correct solution. Looie496 (talk) 21:43, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Speed?
How long does it take for a signal to cross the synapse? Comecra (talk) 09:20, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

The answer to this question isn't straightforward, because after a neurotransmitter is released from an exocytosing vesicle it diffuses both across the synaptic cleft (very rapid, around 1 usec) and along it i.e. radially away from the release point. As it spreads outward in the cleft it binds to additional receptors. This process could take an additional 50 usec. Paulhummerman (talk) 21:43, 17 December 2020 (UTC)

Broad picture importance of synapse?
I don't have expertise in this field but I'm guessing that the chemical synapse is much better than a simple on/off switch in that it can release various transmitters and the time of reuptake is another variable and ... other variables too? I think a discussion of the advantage of an multiposition switch over a binary switch would help to explain how brains are better than computers. Is the chemical synapse is the core mechanism that leads to the experience of consciousness? Electricmic (talk) 10:55, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

Recent work ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737657/) shows that individual synapses can have many different strength levels, thus able to store 5 bits of info. It's also known that strength changes occur in an all-or-none manner as a result of coincident electrical activity (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9539807/), though it's not known whether these discrete changes in strength always occur in equal amounts. These changes are highly synapse-specific (Matsuzaki, M., Honkura, N., Ellis-Davies, G.C.R. & Kasai, H. (2004). Structural basis of long-term potentiation in single dendritic spines. Nature 429:761-766.) and underlie learning and mind, in the same way that specific Crick-Watson base-pairing in DNA underlies life. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Paulhummerman (talk • contribs) 21:57, 17 December 2020 (UTC)


 * It would be premature to attribute consciousness to anything particular within the brain. I'm not sure how to discuss the multiposition idea without getting into WP:OR. Signal transduction goes into the technical aspects of how synapses are not just on-off, in the sense that, when transmitters bind to their receptors postsynaptically, the receptors have multiple actions. I've just added a sentence to try to convey that. --Tryptofish (talk) 00:46, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Synaptic Adhesion Molecules
I added mention of SAMs to intro, maybe it doesn't belong there, but it always bothered me to learn that there's a gap between neurons at synapses, but wondered how they don't just fall apart if brain/head is jiggled. Needs a section on SAMs, but too busy now to try to add it. UnderEducatedGeezer (talk) 19:19, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

lost
where is the entry about the potassium and magnesium in the picture. (top right) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.157.80.122 (talk) 07:22, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

All the Pictures are Wrong
Unfortunately all the pictures are wrong, although they are similar to most standard pictures of synapses. Take for example the "additional image" showing a "typical central nervous system synapse" This shows a presynaptic bulb sitting on a postsynaptic bulb. But in fact the great majority of central synapses are made by an "en passant" presynaptic swelling sitting on the head of a dendritic spine. In other words, the presynaptic "bouton" isn't an end-bulb but a swelling occurring along a cylindrical axon. Presynaptic end-bulbs are found - they are known as "boutons terminaux" or terminal buttons; these sit at the end of a short stalk that arises from an axon (typically not at the end of an axonal branch. They are also known as 'drumsticks" and are essentially presynaptic spines. But to my knowledge such drumstick boutons are always made directly on dendritic shafts, not on spine heads (contrary to what the figure shows). These anatomical facts probably have crucial physiological significance.Paulhummerman (talk) 00:22, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Well, can you find any usable pictures that are better? I understand your point, but I would be opposed to throwing out all the pictures for this reason, unless there is something better to replace them. Finding good, or even decent, pictures is one of the hardest aspects of editing Wikipedia articles. Best wishes, Looie496 (talk) 01:04, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Synaptic stabilization and the "about" template
The "about" template at the top of an article is not intended for linking to subsidiary articles. Its purpose is to point to other articles that a reader who arrives here may have been seeking, for example, a reader who is looking for information about Cannondale Synapse bicycles. The best way to link to a subsidiary article is from an in-text wikilink in a part of this article that discusses the topic. The second best way is to add a link in the "See Also" section. Looie496 (talk) 21:04, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

Type of synapses
Axo somatic Axo dendritic Axo axonic — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A03:2880:32FF:16:0:0:FACE:B00C (talk) 08:16, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

Hi, I am a student from Uskudar University. I edit the article entitled by "Synapse" as an assignment for my "Recent Developments in Biotechnology" course. I already completed Wikipedia training modules to be proficient in Wikipedia editing. I would appreciate any support. Best wishes, Sajeda Osman Sajedaosman2 (talk) 08:29, 30 December 2023 (UTC)