Chemical synapse
![Illustration of the major elements in chemical synaptic transmission. An electrochemical wave called an action potential travels along the axon of a neuron. When the action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal, it provokes the release of a small quantity of neurotransmitter molecules, which bind to chemical receptor molecules located in the membrane of another neuron, the postsynaptic neuron, on the opposite side of the synaptic cleft.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Chemical_synapse_schema_cropped5202.jpg")
![An illustrated chemical synapse](/Images/godic/202502/04/SynapseSchematic_lines.svg5202.png")
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/-Synapse.theora.ogv5203.jpg")
![Release of neurotransmitter occurs at the end of axonal branches.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Neuro_Muscular_Junction5203.png")
Chemical synapses are biological junctions through which neurons signal 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. They allow the nervous system to connect to and control other systems of the body.