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Glite Dictionary
postsynaptically

postsynaptically

1 9.9
In the part of a nerve cell that receives signals
  • adverb
  • /ˌpoʊstˈsaɪnæptɪkli/
  • Specialized
: postsinápticamente
  • It is characterized by an accumulation of synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic nerve terminal and a subsynaptic membranous cistern postsynaptically in the outer hair cell.

Examples

  • The neurotransmitter binds to receptors postsynaptically, triggering a response in the receiving neuron.

  • After stimulation, we observed enhanced signaling postsynaptically, which indicates stronger synaptic connections.

  • During the experiment, the changes in calcium levels were measured postsynaptically to assess neuronal activity.

Surface Forms

postsynaptically positive

Morphology

postsynaptically = postsynaptic (transparent) = post + synapt + ic + ally

Formed regularly from 'postsynaptic' by adding the adverbial suffix '-ally'; the meaning is directly derived though it's technical.

Etymology

Postsynaptically comes from post- meaning 'after' and synapse, the tiny gap where nerve cells meet. So to act postsynaptically is to do something on the 'after' side of that gap, the receiving side of a nerve connection, which is why the word describes where something happens in nerve signals.