This diagram shows a postsynaptic neuron. An axon from a presynaptic neuron is synapsing with the dendrites on the post synaptic neuron. The axon of the presynaptic neuron branches into several club shaped axon terminals. A magnified view of one of the synapses reveals that the axon terminal does not contact the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron. Instead, there is a small space between the two structures, called the synaptic cleft. The axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron contains several synaptic vesicles, each holding about a dozen neurotransmitter particles. The synaptic vesicles travel to the edge of the axon terminal and release their neurotransmitters into the synaptic clefts The neurotransmitters travel through the synaptic cleft and bind to carrier proteins on the postsynaptic neuron that contain receptors foe neurotransmitters.
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