Describe the differences between electrical and chemical synapses in terms of mechanisms and functional characteristics of transmission
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: Transmission across an electrical synapse is very fast because there is no synaptic delay, just an electronic current spread. In electrical synapses, flow of information occurs in either direction because ions can easily travel via the gap junctions that connect cells.
In a chemical synapse, the flow of information is in one direction, from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell. The presynaptic cell's electrical signal is converted to a chemical signal via neurotransmitters. There is also docking and fusion of synaptic vesicles and diffusion across the synapse. The receptors in the postsynaptic cell convert the chemical signal to an electrical signal. All these steps result in a relatively slower transmission rate of information compared to electrical synapses. However, due to the presence of numerous neurotransmitters, these neurotransmitters have diverse effects on the postsynaptic cells.
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