Definitions for "Postsynaptic"
the part of a nerve cell which receives an impulse from a synapse.
Events occuring in the dendrite after the neurotransmitter crosses the synapse.
The postsynaptic neuron's dendrite receives neurotransmitter, rather in the manner of sniffing perfume, and changes the permeability of its membrane to certain ions, usually Na+, K+, Cl-, or Ca++ in some combination. Ions flowing through the membrane in turn produce the voltage change known as the postsynaptic potential (PSP). If excitatory, it is called the EPSP; if inhibitory, the IPSP.