synaptic cleft

German: synaptischer Spalt
Japanese: シナプス間隙

Neurophysiology. The space between two nerve cells across which a nerve impulse is transmitted by a neurotransmitter. The presynaptic neuron releases a neurotransmitter (e.g., acetylcholine) that diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to specific receptors in the cell membrane of postsynaptic cell, thus activating it.

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