Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chemical synapse
Chemical synapses are specialized junctions through which cells of the nervous system signal to one another and to non-neuronal cells such as muscles or glands. A chemical synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle cell is called a neuromuscular junction.
Chemical synapses allow the neurons of the central nervous system to form interconnected neural circuits. They are thus crucial to the biological computations that underlie perception and thought. They also provide the means through which the nervous system connects to and controls the other systems of the body. The human brain contains a huge number of chemical synapses, with young children having about 10,000 trillion synapses. This number declines with age, stabilizing by adulthood. Estimates for an adult vary from 1,000 to 5,000 trillion synapses.
Related Stories
1
2
Health & Medicine News
May 9, 2026
May 9, 2026 A new study shows that listening to your own favorite workout music can dramatically boost endurance. Cyclists exercising with self-selected songs lasted nearly 20% longer than when riding in silence, yet they didn’t feel more exhausted at the ...
May 9, 2026 Scientists studying axolotls, zebrafish, and mice have uncovered a shared set of genes that may one day help humans regrow lost limbs. By identifying powerful “SP genes” involved in regeneration, ...
May 8, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising secret hidden inside fat cells that could reshape how we think about obesity and metabolic disease. A protein called HSL, long believed to simply release stored fat when the body needs energy, turns out to have ...
May 8, 2026 A common constipation drug may have unexpectedly unlocked a new way to slow chronic kidney disease — a condition that affects millions and often leads to dialysis. In a clinical trial involving 150 patients, researchers found that lubiprostone, a ...
May 8, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising way to influence the bacteria living in our mouths — not by killing them, but by interrupting how they “talk” to each other. Researchers found that dental ...
May 8, 2026 Beneath the beauty of coral reefs lies a hidden universe of microbes unlike anything scientists expected. Each coral species supports its own specialized microbial partners, many of which have never ...
May 7, 2026 Many cancer patients turn to biotin supplements hoping to restore hair lost during treatment, but experts warn the popular vitamin may do more harm than good. While biotin is often marketed for stronger hair and nails, there’s little evidence it ...
May 7, 2026 A little-known tree from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest may hold a surprising weapon against COVID-19. Researchers discovered that compounds called galloylquinic acids, extracted from its leaves, can attack SARS-CoV-2 on multiple fronts—blocking the ...
May 7, 2026 Eating eggs might do more than just start your day—it could help protect your brain. Researchers found that people 65 and older who eat eggs regularly have a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, with daily or near-daily ...
May 7, 2026 Researchers have created a next-generation obesity drug that works like a “Trojan horse,” using GLP-1/GIP signals to slip a powerful metabolic enhancer directly into target cells. In mice, it outperformed existing treatments—curbing appetite, ...
May 7, 2026 Some people taking Ozempic-like diabetes drugs may be getting dramatically better results for a surprising reason: why they overeat in the first place. A year-long study in Japan found that people who tend to eat because tempting food looks or ...
May 7, 2026 Aging doesn’t just add fat—it redistributes it in risky ways, pushing more into the abdomen where it can harm health. Scientists found that testosterone plays a key role in this shift. In older women recovering from hip fractures, a testosterone ...
Latest Headlines
updated 12:56 pm ET
May 6, 2026 Scientists in Sweden have taken a major step toward a potential cure for type 1 diabetes by developing a more reliable way to create insulin-producing cells from human stem cells. These lab-grown ...
May 6, 2026 A short burst of immunotherapy before surgery is delivering surprisingly powerful results for a specific type of colorectal cancer. Patients in a UK-led trial who received just nine weeks of ...
May 6, 2026 A major 10-year clinical trial is turning one of the world’s most common knee surgeries on its head. Researchers found that trimming a damaged meniscus—a procedure long believed to relieve ...
May 5, 2026 A chaotic sleep schedule in your 40s might be quietly setting the stage for heart trouble later. Researchers tracking thousands of people for over a decade found that those with highly inconsistent ...
May 5, 2026 GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are often celebrated as game-changing solutions—but new research reveals a surprising social twist. People who lose weight using these medications ...
May 4, 2026 A new study suggests travel could be a surprisingly powerful anti-aging tool. By viewing tourism through the lens of entropy, researchers found that positive travel experiences may help the body stay ...
May 4, 2026 A new study suggests a surprisingly simple compound could help fight Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that arginine—an inexpensive amino acid already considered safe—can reduce the ...
May 4, 2026 For decades, relaxor ferroelectrics have powered everything from medical ultrasounds to sonar systems, yet their inner atomic structure remained a ...
May 4, 2026 Creatine might be famous in the gym, but its real story is far more interesting. Naturally produced in the body, it helps power cells by rapidly regenerating ATP—the fuel that keeps muscles, the ...
May 4, 2026 A new study suggests depression may soon be detectable through a simple blood test—by tracking how certain immune cells age. Researchers found that accelerated aging in monocytes, a type of white ...