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This is called myelin or myelin sheath. It's made mainly from fat with a few proteins in it, and is produced by oligodendrocyte cells in the CNS and schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system.

It speeds up nerve signalling by allowing action potentials (the electric currents that make up nerve impulses) to skip between the gaps in the myelin (nodes of ranvier).

In unmyelinated axons, sodium and potassium channels have to create the voltage differences at every single step along the nerve. (Say for example 100 times per nerve). Myelinated neurones only need to create these voltage differences at the nodes of ranvier (where sodium and potassium ion channels are located on myelinated neurones) Say for example there are 10 nodes of ranvier on a myelinated axon.

The unmyelinated axon must create this voltage difference 10 times more frequently than the myelinated axon, hence the nerve impulse travels 10 times faster in a myelinated axon. (Based on the random numbers I used. In real life the numbers may be wildly different, but they still work in this way).

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Neurons are composed of a network of fine threads called?

Neurons are composed of a network of fine threads called dendrites, which receive signals from other neurons, and axons, which transmit signals to other neurons. These structures form the basic communication network within the brain and nervous system.


Is neurons short hair like fibers that receives information?

Neurons are specialized cells that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the body. They have long, slender extensions called dendrites and axons that allow them to communicate with other neurons. Dendrites receive incoming signals, while axons transmit signals to other neurons or cells.


Do nerves contain the axons of sensory and motor neurons?

Yes, nerves contain axons of both sensory neurons, which carry information from the body to the brain, and motor neurons, which carry instructions from the brain to the muscles and glands. The axons of sensory and motor neurons are bundled together within nerves to transmit signals throughout the body.


Processes that carry impulses to another neuron?

The functional and structural unit of the nervous system for fast communication are called neurons. A neuron is made of cell body with extensions which are the axons and dendrites that carry impulses.


Does a neuron have a coating?

Sometimes, depending on the type and function of the neuron, and when it does, it will be on the AXON of the neuron, not the whole neuron. The AXONS of grey matter in the brain do NOT have a coating, but white matter in the brain DOES, as do longer axons in the peripheral nervous system. The Myelin Sheath which coats white matter in the brain is made up of glial cells called oligodendrocytes, and the myelin sheath around peripheral nerve cells are called Schwann cells.

Related Questions

What are the long arms of neurons called?

axons


These cover the axonin order to make nerve signals faster?

Some axons have an insulating coating, called the fatty myelin sheath, to make signals travel faster.


What are the thin chain-like extensions of the neurons called?

Axons


The part of a spinal nerve that contains only sensory neurons is the?

The part of a spinal nerve that contains only sensory neurons is called the ventral root. There's also the axons of motor neurons and axons of sensory neurons.


The branchlike structures the receive messages from other neurons are called?

Axons


Neurons are composed of a network of fine threads called?

Neurons are composed of a network of fine threads called dendrites, which receive signals from other neurons, and axons, which transmit signals to other neurons. These structures form the basic communication network within the brain and nervous system.


Why is there a fatty coating around the neuron?

The myelin sheath around nerve tracts insulate and protect the nerve from too much stimulation and it also makes the electrical current, that is used to feel and move, move faster through the body. People who lack the myelin sheath have serious and life threatening problems because their bodies do not move when it is supposed to, one common disorder of demyelination is multiple sclerosis.


Groups of axons and dendrites in the PNS are called?

A group of axons in the CNS is most likely referring to the tracts of neurons that are found in the spinal cord.


The cerebral cortex is the:a.gray matter, the axons and dendrites of neuronsb.gray matter, the cell bodies of neurons?

A.) The grey matter, the axons and dendrites of neurons.


Is neurons short hair like fibers that receives information?

Neurons are specialized cells that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the body. They have long, slender extensions called dendrites and axons that allow them to communicate with other neurons. Dendrites receive incoming signals, while axons transmit signals to other neurons or cells.


When your hit in the head do you damage the neurons in your brain or the axons?

When you are hit in the head, both neurons and axons can sustain damage. Neurons are the specialized cells responsible for transmitting electrical signals in the brain, while axons are long, slender projections that extend from neurons and transmit those signals to other neurons or tissues. Impact to the head can cause direct damage to neurons and axons, leading to functional impairment or cell death.


Axons and dendrites?

Axons are responsible for transmitting electrical signals away from the neuron cell body. Dendrites, on the other hand, receive incoming signals from axons of other neurons. Together, axons and dendrites play a crucial role in the communication between neurons in the nervous system.