Imagine you're at a party. The room is buzzing, and someone (let's call them the presynaptic neuron) wants to give a message to another person (the postsynaptic neuron). But they can't just shout across the room; they need to pass a secret note (neurotransmitter). 🎉

• Neurotransmitters hustle and shuffle across the synaptic gap, a tiny dance floor that's super short (20-40nm). That's like moving two to four steps if you were a tiny phospholipid dancer.
• Real-world example: It's like dropping your chip right next to the dip - it's so close, you scoop it up instantly! 🍟

• Our neurotransmitter has a VIP pass, which lets it bind to special receptors in the postsynaptic membrane's entrance.
• These receptors are like bouncers. Some have doors (ion channels) attached to them. Others call over a separate door to let VIPs in.

• Ions groove down their concentration gradient into the postsynaptic neuron.
• This causes the neuron's membrane potential to vibe up and become less negative. We call this the excitatory postsynaptic potential.
• If the dance energy (EPSP) is strong enough, it starts a conga line (action potential) that moves away from the synapse.