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Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses, which are specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of chemical neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap. Neurons are the main components of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoans.
Synaptic communication is distinct from an ephaptic coupling, in which communication between neurons occurs via indirect electric fields. An autapse is a chemical or electrical synapse that forms when the axon of one neuron synapses onto dendrites of the same neuron.
Neurons are polarised cells that are specialised for the conduction of action potentials also called nerve impulses. [1] They can also synthesise membrane and protein. Neurons communicate with other neurons using neurotransmitters released from their synapses, and they may be inhibitory, excitatory or neuromodulatory. [5]
Neurons communicate with each other through synapses, specialized contact points where neurotransmitters transmit signals. When an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal , the action potential can trigger the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.
Neurons form complex biological neural networks through which nerve impulses (action potentials) travel. Neurons do not touch each other (except in the case of an electrical synapse through a gap junction); instead, neurons interact at close contact points called synapses. A neuron transports its information by way of an action potential.
While individual neurons are simple, many of them together in a network can perform complex tasks. There are two main types of neural network. In neuroscience , a biological neural network is a physical structure found in brains and complex nervous systems – a population of nerve cells connected by synapses .
A biological neural network is composed of a group of chemically connected or functionally associated neurons. [2] A single neuron may be connected to many other neurons and the total number of neurons and connections in a network may be extensive.
Chemical synapses are biological junctions through which neurons' signals can be sent to each other and to non-neuronal cells such as those in muscles or glands. Chemical synapses allow neurons to form circuits within the central nervous system. They are crucial to the biological computations that underlie perception and thought.