Synapsethumb|400px|Synapse entre deux neurones. La synapse (du grec , « contact, point de jonction », dérivé de , « joindre, connecter ») est une zone de contact fonctionnelle qui s'établit entre deux neurones, ou entre un neurone et une autre cellule (cellules musculaires, récepteurs sensoriels...). Elle assure la conversion d'un potentiel d'action déclenché dans le neurone présynaptique en un signal dans la cellule postsynaptique. On estime, pour certains types cellulaires (par exemple cellule pyramidale, cellule de Purkinje.
Alpha motor neuronAlpha (α) motor neurons (also called alpha motoneurons), are large, multipolar lower motor neurons of the brainstem and spinal cord. They innervate extrafusal muscle fibers of skeletal muscle and are directly responsible for initiating their contraction. Alpha motor neurons are distinct from gamma motor neurons, which innervate intrafusal muscle fibers of muscle spindles. While their cell bodies are found in the central nervous system (CNS), α motor neurons are also considered part of the somatic nervous system—a branch of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)—because their axons extend into the periphery to innervate skeletal muscles.
MicroelectrodeA microelectrode is an electrode used in electrophysiology either for recording neural signals or for the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue (they were first developed by Ida Hyde in 1921). Pulled glass pipettes with tip diameters of 0.5 μm or less are usually filled with 3 molars potassium chloride solution as the electrical conductor. When the tip penetrates a cell membrane the lipids in the membrane seal onto the glass, providing an excellent electrical connection between the tip and the interior of the cell, which is apparent because the microelectrode becomes electrically negative compared to the extracellular solution.
