Synaptic cleft

Axon

Dendrite

Soma

Nodes of Ranvier

Extracellular sodium rushes into the cytoplasm

Extracellular potassium rushes into the cytoplasm

Intracellular sodium rushes out of the cytoplasm

Intracellular potassium rushes out of the cytoplasm

Calcium rushes into the cytoplasm

Astrocytes

Microglial cells

Ependymal cells

Oligodendrocytes

Depolarization

Repolarization

Hyperpolarization

The fusion of vesicles to the presynaptic end plate

They increase the speed of nerve impulses

They send and receive nerve impulses

They produce neural impulses

They detect malfunctioning nerve impulses

They amplify neural impulses

They allow the action potential to skip over sections of the axon

They provide support and protection to the axon

They allow the transport of proteins along the axon

They allow a way from neurons to communicate with each other, via connecting nodes

They allow neurons to recieve oxygen

All of these events occur during synaptic transmission

The action potential depolarizes the end of the pre-synaptic neuron

The membranes of synaptic vesicles fuse with the cell membrane of the pre-synaptic neuron

Neurotransmitter chemicals diffuse across the synaptic cleft

Only a small potential is generated in the post-synaptic neuron