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Ectopia
Synapses are the points of contact and communication between the 100 billion nerve cells of the brain
and spinal cord. This image shows a synapse between nerve cells in the chick ciliary ganglion.
Molecules of neurotransmitter (green ellipsoids) are released from synaptic vesicles (yellow spheres)
of one nerve cell and diffuse across the synaptic space between the nerve cells. The neurotransmitter
must then bind to receptor molecules in the cell membrane (blue and red objects) before being
destroyed by enzymes anchored in the cell membrane (not shown). If enough receptors are activated
(opaque blue and red objects) a further cascade of events is triggered, resulting in activation of
the nerve cell. |
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![[photo]](http://tombartolphotography.exposuremanager.com/scripts/expman.pl?rm=view_photo&photo_id=logobanner0&dir=galleries/5&file=logobanner_full.jpg)
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![[photo]](/scripts/expman.pl?rm=view_photo&photo_id=ciliary_ganglion_1_11x1458&file=ciliary_ganglion_1_11x14_medium.jpg&dir=galleries/10&touched=1267646995)