As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 10, 1998

                                             Registration No. 333-05793
================================================================================


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                           ---------------------------

                                 POST-EFFECTIVE
                               AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                        UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                           ---------------------------

                       Snyaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Delaware                                        22-2859704
  (State or other jurisdiction of                       (I.R.S. Employer
   incorporation or organization)                       Identification No.)

                                215 College Road
                         Paramus, New Jersey 07652-1431
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

                    1988 Amended and Restated Incentive Plan
                               1996 Incentive Plan
                   1996 Nonemployee Director Stock Option Plan
                            (Full title of the plans)


                              Lisa L. Reiter, Esq.
                       Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation
                                215 College Road
                         Paramus, New Jersey 07652-1431
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (201) 261-1331
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


                                    Proposed         Proposed
 Title of                            Maximum          Maximum
Securities                          Offering         Aggregate      Amount of
  to be            Amount to be     Price Per        Offering     Registration
Registered       Registered(1)(2)    Share(3)        Price(3)          Fee
--------------   ----------------  ----------        ---------    ------------
Common Stock,
$.01 par value    1,000,000 shares  $12.3125       $12,312,500      $3,632.19


         (1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended
         (the  "Act"),  this  registration  statement  shall be  deemed to cover
         additional securities that may be offered or issued to prevent dilution
         resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

         (2) 1,000,000  additional  shares of Common Stock are being  registered
         hereby  which may be issued as awards or in respect  of awards  granted
         pursuant to the 1996 Incentive Plan, as amended.

         (3) Estimated  solely for the purpose of calculating  the  registration
         fee  pursuant to Rule 457(h) and Rule 457(c) of the Act on the basis of
         the  average of the high and low sales  prices  reported  on the Nasdaq
         National Market on August 5, 1998.



<PAGE>





                                EXPLANATORY NOTE


                  Pursuant  to  General   Instruction   E  of  Form  S-8,   this
Post-effective  Amendment No. 1 to the  Registrant's  Registration  Statement on
Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-05793)  incorporates by reference the contents of
the  earlier  registration  statement  on Form  S-8  which  was  filed  with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on June 12, 1996.



<PAGE>


Item 8. Exhibits.

         4.11     1996 Incentive Plan, as amended  (incorporated by reference to
                  Exhibit A of the Registrant's Proxy Statement, dated April 13,
                  1998, with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
                  held May 12, 1998 (Commission File No. 0-27324)).

         5        Opinion of the  General  Counsel of the  Registrant  as to the
                  validity  of  the  issuance  of the  shares  of  Common  Stock
                  registered hereby.

         23.1     Consent of the General Counsel of the Registrant (included  in
                  Exhibit 5).

         23.2     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

         24       Power of Attorney.*

-----------------
*Previously filed.

                                      II-1



<PAGE>



                                   SIGNATURES


         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the  requirements  for  filing  on  Form  S-8 and has  duly  caused  this
Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-8  to  be  signed  on  its  behalf  by  the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Township of Paramus, State of New
Jersey, on August 10, 1998.

                                          SYNAPTIC PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION



                                   By:/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                 Name:   Kathleen P. Mullinix, Ph.D.
                                Title:   Chairman of the Board,
                                          President and Chief Executive Officer








                                      II-2

<PAGE>



         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement on Form S-8 has been signed by the following persons
(which  persons  constitute  a  majority  of  the  Board  of  Directors)  in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:

       Signature                      Title                        Date
---------------------------       ------------------------     -------------
               
/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix 
------------------------          Chairman of the Board,       August 10, 1998
Kathleen P. Mullinix, Ph.D.       President, Chief Executive
                                  Officer and Director
                                  (Principal Executive
                                  Officer)
          *
------------------------
Robert L. Spence                  Chief Financial Officer      August 10, 1998
                                  and Treasurer (Principal
                                  Financial and Accounting
                                  Officer)
          *
------------------------
Jonathan J. Fleming               Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Zola P. Horovitz, Ph.D.           Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Eric R. Kandel, M.D.              Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
John E. Lyons                     Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Sandra Panem, Ph.D.               Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D.       Director                     August 10, 1998

 


* By:/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix
     ------------------------
     Kathleen P. Mullinix
     Title: Attorney-in-Fact




                                      II-3

<PAGE>




                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

        Exhibit
         Number
        -------

         4.11     1996 Incentive Plan, as amended  (incorporated by reference to
                  Exhibit A of the Registrant's Proxy Statement, dated April 13,
                  1998, with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
                  held May 12, 1998 (Commission File No. 0-27324)).

         5        Opinion of the  General  Counsel of the  Registrant  as to the
                  validity  of  the  issuance  of the  shares  of  Common  Stock
                  registered hereby.

         23.1     Consent of the General Counsel of the Registrant (included  in
                  Exhibit 5).

         23.2     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

         24       Power of Attorney.*

-----------------
*Previously filed.
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "secsgml_size_bytes": 8307}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "SYNAPTIC PHARMACEUTICAL CORP", "cik": "0000884939", "assigned-sic": "8731", "irs-number": "222859704", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-61059", "film-number": "98680272"}, "business-address": {"street1": "215 COLLEGE RD", "city": "PARAMUS", "state": "NJ", "zip": "07652", "phone": "2012611331"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 10, 1998

                                             Registration No. 333-05793
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                           ---------------------------

                                 POST-EFFECTIVE
                               AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                        UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                           ---------------------------

                       Snyaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Delaware                                        22-2859704
  (State or other jurisdiction of                       (I.R.S. Employer
   incorporation or organization)                       Identification No.)

                                215 College Road
                         Paramus, New Jersey 07652-1431
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

                    1988 Amended and Restated Incentive Plan
                               1996 Incentive Plan
                   1996 Nonemployee Director Stock Option Plan
                            (Full title of the plans)

                              Lisa L. Reiter, Esq.
                       Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation
                                215 College Road
                         Paramus, New Jersey 07652-1431
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (201) 261-1331
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                                    Proposed         Proposed
 Title of                            Maximum          Maximum
Securities                          Offering         Aggregate      Amount of
  to be            Amount to be     Price Per        Offering     Registration
Registered       Registered(1)(2)    Share(3)        Price(3)          Fee
--------------   ----------------  ----------        ---------    ------------
Common Stock,
$.01 par value    1,000,000 shares  $12.3125       $12,312,500      $3,632.19

         (1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended
         (the  "Act"),  this  registration  statement  shall be  deemed to cover
         additional securities that may be offered or issued to prevent dilution
         resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

         (2) 1,000,000  additional  shares of Common Stock are being  registered
         hereby  which may be issued as awards or in respect  of awards  granted
         pursuant to the 1996 Incentive Plan, as amended.

         (3) Estimated  solely for the purpose of calculating  the  registration
         fee  pursuant to Rule 457(h) and Rule 457(c) of the Act on the basis of
         the  average of the high and low sales  prices  reported  on the Nasdaq
         National Market on August 5, 1998.
EXPLANATORY NOTE

                  Pursuant  to  General   Instruction   E  of  Form  S-8,   this
Post-effective  Amendment No. 1 to the  Registrant's  Registration  Statement on
Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-05793)  incorporates by reference the contents of
the  earlier  registration  statement  on Form  S-8  which  was  filed  with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on June 12, 1996.
Item 8. Exhibits.

         4.11     1996 Incentive Plan, as amended  (incorporated by reference to
                  Exhibit A of the Registrant's Proxy Statement, dated April 13,
                  1998, with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
                  held May 12, 1998 (Commission File No. 0-27324)).

         5        Opinion of the  General  Counsel of the  Registrant  as to the
                  validity  of  the  issuance  of the  shares  of  Common  Stock
                  registered hereby.

         23.1     Consent of the General Counsel of the Registrant (included  in
                  Exhibit 5).

         23.2     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

         24       Power of Attorney.*

-----------------
*Previously filed.

                                      II-1
SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the  requirements  for  filing  on  Form  S-8 and has  duly  caused  this
Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-8  to  be  signed  on  its  behalf  by  the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Township of Paramus, State of New
Jersey, on August 10, 1998.

                                          SYNAPTIC PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION

                                   By:/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                 Name:   Kathleen P. Mullinix, Ph.D.
                                Title:   Chairman of the Board,
                                          President and Chief Executive Officer

                                      II-2
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement on Form S-8 has been signed by the following persons
(which  persons  constitute  a  majority  of  the  Board  of  Directors)  in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:

       Signature                      Title                        Date
---------------------------       ------------------------     -------------
               
/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix 
------------------------          Chairman of the Board,       August 10, 1998
Kathleen P. Mullinix, Ph.D.       President, Chief Executive
                                  Officer and Director
                                  (Principal Executive
                                  Officer)
          *
------------------------
Robert L. Spence                  Chief Financial Officer      August 10, 1998
                                  and Treasurer (Principal
                                  Financial and Accounting
                                  Officer)
          *
------------------------
Jonathan J. Fleming               Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Zola P. Horovitz, Ph.D.           Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Eric R. Kandel, M.D.              Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
John E. Lyons                     Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Sandra Panem, Ph.D.               Director                     August 10, 1998

          *
------------------------
Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D.       Director                     August 10, 1998

 

* By:/s/ Kathleen P. Mullinix
     ------------------------
     Kathleen P. Mullinix
     Title: Attorney-in-Fact

                                      II-3
INDEX TO EXHIBITS

        Exhibit
         Number
        -------

         4.11     1996 Incentive Plan, as amended  (incorporated by reference to
                  Exhibit A of the Registrant's Proxy Statement, dated April 13,
                  1998, with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
                  held May 12, 1998 (Commission File No. 0-27324)).

         5        Opinion of the  General  Counsel of the  Registrant  as to the
                  validity  of  the  issuance  of the  shares  of  Common  Stock
                  registered hereby.

         23.1     Consent of the General Counsel of the Registrant (included  in
                  Exhibit 5).

         23.2     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

         24       Power of Attorney.*

-----------------
*Previously filed.