Drag the labels onto the flowchart to indicate the sequence of events that occurs in the presynaptic cell (orange background) and the postsynaptic cell (blue background) after an action potential reaches a chemical synapse.

In chemical transmission the release of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters occurs. Neurotransmitters carry information from the presynaptic or transmitter neuron to the postsynaptic or recipient cell.

As you may recall from the article on the structure and function of the neuron, synapses are usually formed between the nerve terminals - axon terminals - of the sending neuron and the cell body or dendrites of the receiving neuron.

Scheme of synaptic transmission. An action potential travels through the axon of the presynaptic or emitting cell, and reaches multiple axon terminals branching from the axon. The axon terminal is adjacent to the dendrite of the postsynaptic or recipient cell. This place of close connection between axon and dendrite is the synapse.

A single axon can have multiple ramifications, which allows it to synapse with several postsynaptic cells. Similarly, a single neuron can receive miles of synaptic inputs from many different presynaptic or emitting neurons.

Within the axon terminal of a transmitter cell there are many synaptic vesicles. These are membranous spheres full of neurotransmitter molecules. There is a small space between the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic cell membrane, this space is called synaptic space.