Neurons do not make direct contact but are separated by synapses. Impulses cross a synapse by means of a neurotransmitter. Describe the process of neurotransmitter release at a synapse. You may use a labelled diagram.

  1. Action potential arrives at axon terminal of presynaptic neuron

  2. Voltage-gated Ca2+ channel opens

  3. Ca2+ enters the cell

  4. Ca2+ signals to vesicles

  5. Vesicles move to the membrane

  6. Neurotransmitters are released by exocytosis

  7. Neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and bind to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane

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