Calyx (anatomy) kidney, a conglomeration of two or three minor calyces to form a major calyx, or the Calyx of Held, a particularly large synapse in the mammalian auditory central nervous system, named by H. Held in his 1893 article "Die centrale Gehörleitung", due to its flower-petal-like shape. In male insects, a funnel-shaped expansion of the basal part of the "vas deferens" (part of the seminal duct). Also in entomology, a flattened cap of neuropile in an insect brain (a component of the corpus pedunculatum) and by certain female insects, an expansion of the oviduct into which the ovarioles open. Calyx (anatomy)
Calyx of Held high frequency sound localization. This synapse has been described as the largest in the brain. The related endbulb of Held is also a large axon terminal smaller synapse (15-30 µm in diameter) found in other auditory brainstem structures, namely the cochlear nucleus. As with the calyces, these synapses promote fast, efficient information transfer. The calyx of Held holds vesicles containing glutamate on the presynaptic terminal, the vesicles are released upon stimulation (originating in the auditory system). The glutamate then binds to two known glutamate receptors, AMPA- and NMDA receptors. Commonly used in research due to its large size, the calyx