Together, the presynaptic terminal, synaptic cleft and the receiving dendrite of a nearby nerve cell form a neuronal junction, also called a synapse. The synapse between a nerve and muscle cell is ...

The space between the presynaptic and postsynaptic terminal, known as the synaptic cleft, is where the neurotransmitter crosses from the synapse of one neuron to the next.

When the nerve impulse reaches the dendrites ... at the end of the axon, chemical messengers called neurotransmitters ... are released. These chemicals diffuse ... across the synaptic cleft.

Neurotransmitters, like glutamate, are important players, carrying signals across the synaptic cleft and driving processes like long-term potentiation —a fancy term for how synapses get stronger ...