A chemical synapse can be referred to as a synaptic junction, synaptic cleft, or synaptic gap. These different terms are all interchangeable and refer to the space between two neurons where chemical signals are passed from one cell to another. The term synaptic junction is commonly used in scientific literature to describe the point where two nerve cells communicate through the release of neurotransmitters. The synaptic cleft is the extracellular space between the pre- and postsynaptic cells that contains the neurotransmitters. Lastly, the synaptic gap is another term that refers to the same space. These synonyms for chemical synapse are all related and describe the same biological process occurring in the brain.