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Structural Components of the Synaptic Region

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Handbook of Neurochemistry

Abstract

The synaptic region may be defined as the site of contact between two excitable cells having a specific structural, biochemical, and functional differentiation for the transmission of nerve impulses. As suggested by Du Bois Raymond in 1877, synaptic transmission may be either chemical or electrical, and both mechanisms have been found to occur in the peripheral and central nervous systems. However, chemical synapses are by far the more common and are the only ones that will be considered here from the point of view of their structural and biochemical organization.

The original research contained in this chapter was supported by grants from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina, and from the National Institutes of Health, No. NB-06953-02.

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De Robertis, E., de Lores Arnaiz, G.R. (1969). Structural Components of the Synaptic Region. In: Lajtha, A. (eds) Handbook of Neurochemistry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7321-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7321-4_15

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