Where are neurotransmitters stored before release?

Where are neurotransmitters stored before release?

• A. Axon terminal
• B. Soma
• C. Dendrite
• D. Nissl body

Answer: (A)

Neurotransmitters are stored in synaptic vesicles packed in the presynaptic axon terminal. These vesicles hold transmitters ready to be released when an action potential arrives. The signal opens calcium channels, calcium enters, vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane, and neurotransmitters spill into the synaptic cleft to influence the postsynaptic neuron. The soma houses machinery for protein synthesis (and Nissl bodies are clusters of rough endoplasmic reticulum there), while dendrites are primarily receptive surfaces. So the site holding neurotransmitters before release is the axon terminal.

Neurotransmitters are stored in synaptic vesicles packed in the presynaptic axon terminal. These vesicles hold transmitters ready to be released when an action potential arrives. The signal opens calcium channels, calcium enters, vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane, and neurotransmitters spill into the synaptic cleft to influence the postsynaptic neuron. The soma houses machinery for protein synthesis (and Nissl bodies are clusters of rough endoplasmic reticulum there), while dendrites are primarily receptive surfaces. So the site holding neurotransmitters before release is the axon terminal.