Animals, constantly experience the world around them through their senses. From seeing their surroundings to feeling us as we touch them, these experiences are made possible by the communication between neurons in their brains. This communication occurs through structures called synapses.

A synapse is a junction between two neurons, where information is transmitted from the axon terminal of one neuron to the dendrite of another neuron. The axon terminal contains small sacs called vesicles, which store neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry signals across the synapse.

When an electrical impulse, or action potential, travels down the axon of a neuron, it causes the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters then bind to receptors on the dendrite of the receiving neuron, triggering an electrical signal in that neuron.

This process, known as synaptic transmission, allows neurons to communicate and form complex networks that underlie our animal’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

The strength of a synapse can be modified through a process called synaptic plasticity. This occurs through changes in the number or sensitivity of receptors on the dendrite, or through changes in the amount of neurotransmitter released by the axon terminal. These changes can be short-term, such as those involved in learning and memory, or long-term, such as those involved in the formation of new habits or the recovery from brain injury.

While the basic mechanism of synaptic transmission is conserved across different animals, there are also important variations in the properties of synapses that contribute to the diversity of animal behaviour and cognition.

For example, some animals have synapses that are much faster or more reliable than those in humans, allowing them to make split-second decisions or respond rapidly to changes in their environment. Other animals have synapses that are more flexible or adaptable, allowing them to learn and adapt to new situations more readily.

Ultimately, synapses are the fundamental units of communication in the brain, allowing animals to sense, process, and respond to the world around them. By understanding the mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity, we can gain insights into the workings of the brain and develop new treatments for neurological disorders.

Why is this important from an osteopathic perspective?

Synapses are vital to the health of an animal, to the ability for them to move, to receive and respond to sensory information, to digest and assimilate food, and to react to their environment. Whilst osteopathically, we are primarily focused on improved fluid flow. We understand that part of this process is to ensure free fluid flow in the vaso-nervorum (the blood supply to the nerves) and good nutrition and drainage in the associated area, thus enabling health and optimal nerve function. We understand that the neurological system is the prime coordinator of the body, and by having a clear understanding of the role of the synapses and synaptic plasticity, we can work osteopathically with our patient to reduce facilitation, long-term potentiation, conscious pain, and unconscious nociceptive activity, to regulate aberrant neurological reflexes be that viscerosomatic, somatovisceral, viscerovisceral and somatosomatic, and to improve correlation and coordination within and between the systems within the body. Working not only with the autonomic but also somatic nervous systems to best support the animal’s return to health and reduce the physical and psychological manifestations of any alterations within this system. This may be seen specifically when working with neurological cases but also generally within an osteopathic approach to cases and within the re-regulation of the animal when working with a range of cases and situations.

Next week, we will explore this subject further as we consider neurological synapses and their role in pain and health.