Which term best describes the connection that converts electrical signals to chemical signals at neuronal junctions?

Which term best describes the connection that converts electrical signals to chemical signals at neuronal junctions?

• A. Axon
• B. Dendrite
• C. Presynaptic terminal
• D. Synapse

Answer: (D)

The connection where an electrical signal becomes a chemical signal is called the synapse. When an action potential arrives at the presynaptic terminal, it triggers release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These chemical messengers then bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, converting the electrical event into a chemical signal that influences the next neuron. Axon carries the electrical impulse away from the cell body, and dendrite receives input from other neurons. The presynaptic terminal is the release site on the sending neuron, but the term that encompasses the junction itself where the signal changes modality is the synapse.

The connection where an electrical signal becomes a chemical signal is called the synapse. When an action potential arrives at the presynaptic terminal, it triggers release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These chemical messengers then bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, converting the electrical event into a chemical signal that influences the next neuron.

Axon carries the electrical impulse away from the cell body, and dendrite receives input from other neurons. The presynaptic terminal is the release site on the sending neuron, but the term that encompasses the junction itself where the signal changes modality is the synapse.