Myelin Function and Saltatory Conduction
The need for rapid conduction of the nerve impulse serves as a driving force that can determine and increase animal size. For an axon without myelin, the speed of impulse conduction is proportional to the diameter1/2. Therefore, in order to achieve a faster rate of conduction, species that lack myelin have to enlarge substantially their axons. Higher species achieve high conduction velocities by ensheathment with myelin and by strategically positioning ion channels along the length of myelinated axons. This chapter discusses the role of myelin in the conduction of nerve impulses within the vertebrate nervous system, pathophysiological consequences of demyelination, and the molecular reorganization within the axonal membrane following demyelination.
Keywords: axon, nerve impulses, demyelination, myelin, impulse conduction
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .