Quick Facts
The synaptic cleft material is the extracellular fluid found within the synaptic cleft.
Related parts of the anatomy
Structure
The synaptic cleft is a 20 to 30 nm space located between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, or target cell. It contains extracellular fluid which contains a considerable amount of glycoproteins or fibrous extracellular proteins. During neuronal transmission, the neurotransmitters released from the synaptic vesicles must cross the synaptic cleft (Bear, Connors and Paradiso, 2007).
Anatomical Relations
The synaptic cleft is a space located between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons.
Function
The function of this matrix is probably to guide neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft. It is also likely acts as a “glue” to bind the pre- and postsynaptic membranes together (Bear, Connors and Paradiso, 2007).
Clinical Correlates
—Drugs are being developed now to modify synaptic transmission by interfering with the processes of transmission within the synaptic cleft (Splittgerber, 2018).
References
Bear, M. F., Connors, B. W. and Paradiso, M. A. (2007) Neuroscience. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Splittgerber, R. (2018) Snell's Clinical Neuroanatomy. Wolters Kluwer Health.
