How does conduction differ on myelinated vs unmyelinated axons?

Answer 1

Very simples, myelinated axons have a myelin sheath! These are produced by the schwann cells in the Peripheral Nervous System and oligodendrocytes in the Central Nervous System. The myelin sheath is made out of lipids (fats) and proteins. The benefits of a myelinated axons is a faster transmission of an electrical impulse and also insulation. The breakdown of a myelin sheath from a medical background results in Demyelination.

Tortora, G, Derrickson, B (2009) Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, Wiley, Asia, 12th Edition, Volume 1, Pages 416-423

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The myelin sheath on a nerve fiber is used for insulation and fast conduction of nerve impulses. Myelin is composed of lipids and proteins and is white in appearance, giving the "white matter" of the brain it's color. When the myelin sheath starts to degrade, nerve impulses are conducted improperly or are lost entirely, and the nerve eventually withers and dies. People with signs of demyelination may experience blurriness, double vision, odd tingling sensations in the upper body, limb weakness, speech impairment, memory loss, heat sensitivity, loss of coordination, fatigue, and loss of control over bowel movements.

Answer 3

myelin is a fatty material with high electric resistance

electrical conduction occurs faster in myelinated sheaths than in non myelinated because in myelinated neurones, there are breaks in the myelin which are called Nodes of Ranvier. Because of these breaks, the action potential jumps from node to node faster and passes along faster than the series of local currents generated in the non myelinated axon

Answer 4

Myelinated nerves have a special type of cell wrapped around them called Schwann cells; unmyelinated nerves are not wrapped in Schwann cells. The Schwann cells increase the speed at which impulses travel along the axon, thus making myelinated nerves much faster at transmitting information than unmyelinated nerves.

Incorrect schwann cells wrap them selfs around UNmylenated fibers to somewhat insulate them .They stop the axons from touching and are only found in Unmyelinated cells .Myelin is a protective sheath that surrounds the nerve fiber and enables it to conduct electricity more quickly where needed such as in the central nervous system.

Answer 5

The speed is very fast in case of myelinated fibers as compared to unmyelinated neurons. The impulse jumps across the nodes of Ranvier in case of myelinated nerves.
Propagation is faster in myelinated axons.

Answer 6

In an unmyelinated axon, the action potential is conducted as normal, continuously along the entire length of the axon as voltage-gated sodium-ion pores open one another one after another; but in a myelinated axon, the action potential only occurrs at the Nodes of Ranvier along the axon (ie, at the gaps between the glial cells which myelinate the axon).

The conduction of the neural impulse in a myelinated axonis called saltatory conduction, and combines electrotonic conduction (underneath the Schwann or Oligodendrocyte glial cells which myelinate the axon), with the action potentialwhich occurs just in the gaps between the glial cells.

Electrotonic conduction occurs beneath the myelinating glial cells as the sodium ions which are coming into the axon (either at the initial segment after the trigger voltage was reached in the axon hillock, or at the nodes of Ranvier preceding a glial cell) repel other sodium ions away & down the axon a short distance very quickly.

This quick movement of the electric field from the beginning edge of a myelinating glial cell to its ending edge in effect yields a 'hop' of the neural impulse from one node to the next.

At this point the impulse is 're-strengthened' by the inpouring of new sodium ions at the nodes of Ranvier, due to the opening of voltage-gated sodium-ion pores (the action potential) by the voltage provided by the electrotonic movement of those sodium ions.

Answer 7

myelinated axons conduct impulses much quicker than unmyelinated axons

Answer 8

i think it is the axon