What is the junction where impulses cross from one neuron to another?

• A. Dendrite
• B. Synapse
• C. Axon
• D. Nucleus

Answer: (B)

Neurons communicate at a specialized junction called the synapse. This is the tiny gap between the end of one neuron’s axon and the surface of the next neuron (often the dendrite or cell body). The signal doesn’t leap across the gap by itself; instead, the sending neuron releases chemical messengers called neurotransmitters into the cleft. These chemicals cross to the receiving neuron and bind to receptors, which can trigger a new electrical signal in that neuron. That’s why this junction is the key place where impulses pass from one neuron to another, through chemical transmission.

Dendrites are the receiving parts of a neuron, gathering signals. The axon is the long fiber that carries impulses away from the cell body toward the synapse. The nucleus houses the cell’s genetic material.