synaptic cleft

noun

, Physiology.

1. the small gap, measured in nanometers, between an axon terminal and any of the cell membranes in the immediate vicinity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of synaptic cleft¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

"And what the SSRIs tended to do is to regrow these neurons. But here was the rub: they did so on a timescale that correlated with their clinical efficacy, not with their ability to promote serotonin increases in the synaptic cleft."

From Salon

This synaptic cleft is a narrow gap that is not easily accessible to an antibody.

From Scientific American

Finger-like cellular processes extended from the cancer cells to reach existing mouse synapses between neurons, adopting the same typical position around a synapse as is adopted by glial cells that remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft.

From Nature

Forging this network is a dynamic process, involving proteins at the synaptic cleft that function in the formation, maturation, and remodeling of these connections.

From Science Magazine