Introduction to synaptosomes

Long before the synapse was first visualized Cajal theorized that dendrites and axons communicate by contacts he called “protoplasmic kisses.” Now, the synapse is a central topic of neuroscience research with thousands of publications each year focused on understanding how synapses function. Isolating synapses by making synaptosomes has become an important tool for studying synapses. The synaptosome is a “halfway house” between neurochemistry …