But an inhibitory neurotransmitter hyperpolarizes the postsynaptic neuron by making the inside more negative, driving its charge down — away from its threshold.
As a result, it down-regulates dopamine receptors, which means that the receptor is no longer active and the dopamine can't give its message to the postsynaptic neuron.
Upon arrival of neuronal impulse, synthesized acetylcholine is released into the synaptic cleft where it interacts with acetylcholine receptors located on the postsynaptic neurons.
The receiving cell, meanwhile, is, yes, thankfully the postsynaptic neuron, and it accepts the neurotransmitters in its receptor region, which is usually on the dendrite or just on the cell body itself.
Dopamine is then loaded into synaptic vesicles and released by physiological stimuli into the extracellular space where it can bind to dopamine receptors that are expressed on the postsynaptic neuron.
Excitatory neurotransmitters depolarize the postsynaptic neuron by making the inside of it more positive and bringing it closer to its action potential threshold, making it more likely to fire that message on to the next neuron.