Neurotoxins affect nerve cells, or neurons, and can cause paralysis and eventually, death. Neurotoxins work by preventing neurons from communicating with each other. Normally, neurons communicate using chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters regulate all kinds of bodily activities and states, from physical activities like movement, to sensations like hunger, or emotions like anger. Neurotransmitters travel between neurons through a fluid-filled space called the synapse.
Rattlesnakes can produce two types of neurotoxins.
The first type targets neurons that send the messages and prevents them from releasing neurotransmitters. These pre-synaptic neurotoxins work before the neurotransmitters enter the synapse. The second type targets the neuron that is designed to receive the message by blocking the receptors that take in neurotransmitters. This type is called a post-synaptic neurotoxin. It does its work after the neurotransmitters enter the synapse.