SH-SY5Y cells are an adrenergic clone of the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH and a very useful model for the study of neuronal cellterminal differentiation.
Chemical synapses also serve to amplify neuronal signals, so that even a small presynaptic nerve terminal can alter the response of a large postsynaptic cell.
I found myself wondering if any of the people around him in the terminal, some of them undoubtedly yakking into their own cell phones, had any idea who the amiable gentleman in their midst was.