Chemical synapse

When you want your body to do something, like move your arm, your brain sends a message to your muscles telling them what to do. But your brain and muscles can't talk directly to each other because they are too far apart. Instead, they use messengers called neurotransmitters, which travel across a tiny space called a synapse.

Think of a synapse as a tiny bridge that connects the brain and muscles. When a message (or impulse) reaches the end of a neuron (brain cell) that is sending the message, it causes tiny packages called "vesicles" to release neurotransmitters (chemicals) into the synapse. These neurotransmitters then travel across the synapse and attach to special receptors on the surface of the muscle cell, where they cause the muscle to move.

Once the neurotransmitters have done their job, enzymes in the synapse break them down, preventing the message from being sent over and over again. This helps ensure that the message is only sent when it is needed, and that the muscle doesn't keep moving when it shouldn't.

So, a chemical synapse is a small space between two neurons, or between a neuron and a muscle cell, where messages are sent using neurotransmitters to tell muscles what to do.