APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. the process by which a signal or other activity in a neuron is transferred to an adjacent neuron or other cell. Synaptic transmission, which occurs between two neurons via a synapse, is largely chemical, occurring through the release and binding of neurotransmitter, but it may also be electrical (see electrical synapse). Neurotransmission also occurs between a neuron and an effector organ or gland and between a neuron and a skeletal muscle cell (see neuromuscular junction). Also called neural transmission; neuronal transmission.