The word synapse was first used in a book called A Textbook of Physiology, part three: The Central Nervous System, by Michael Foster and assisted by Charles S. Sherrington, in 1897. It was probably Charles S. Sherrington who coined the term synapse. The word "synapse" comes from Greek: "syn" meaning "together" and "haptein" meaning "to clasp."

 

For additional information on the synapse and how signals travel along nerve cells, try the following:

1. Diagrams and animations describing synapses and signal transmission.
2. Explanation and diagram of how nerve cells communicate.