Chemical Synapse: Neurotransmitter Release
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At a chemical synapse, an arriving action potential opens calcium channels, triggering synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitter that diffuses across the cleft and binds postsynaptic receptors.
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Acetylcholine released at a neuromuscular junction opens postsynaptic sodium channels, depolarizing the muscle cell.
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Chemical synapses carry a brief delay, roughly one millisecond, since neurotransmitter must diffuse across the cleft before the signal continues.