Given below are two statements.

Statement I : Synaptic cleft is absent in electrical synapses.

Statement II : Synaptic cleft is present in chemical synapses.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.

Both statement I and statement II are correct.

Electrical synapses (gap junctions) directly connect the cytoplasm of adjacent neurons through gap junction channels, allowing for direct electrical communication without the need for a synaptic cleft.

Chemical synapses involve the release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron into the synaptic cleft, which is a small gap between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. Neurotransmitters diffuse across this synaptic cleft to bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, transmitting the signal.