Chemicals that assist in passing a signal through the synapse are called?

• A. Neurotransmitters
• B. Myelin
• C. Axons
• D. Nerves

Answer: (A)

Chemicals that pass a signal across a synapse are neurotransmitters. When an action potential reaches the end of a neuron, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These chemicals diffuse across the gap and bind to receptors on the next neuron, opening ion channels and continuing the electrical signal. This chemical communication is what allows neurons to talk to each other and modulate how the message is transmitted.

Myelin speeds transmission along an axon but doesn’t cross the synapse; axons carry electrical impulses within a neuron; nerves are bundles of many neurons outside the CNS.