nodes of Ranvier
Myelin sheath interruptions
Nodes of Ranvier are gaps in the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibers.
These regularly spaced interruptions allow electrical impulses to jump from node to node rather than traveling continuously along the nerve, dramatically increasing signal speed.
The arrangement explains why myelinated nerves conduct impulses far faster than unmyelinated ones.
Unfilled space between
- internodeStem section between nodes
- axonNeuron's signal-sending projection
- myelin sheathLipid layer around axons
- microvilliMicroscopic membrane protrusions
Neuron's rapid electrical discharge
- impulseSudden urge to act
- depolarizationLoss of electrical gradient
- repolarizationMembrane voltage reset
- jumpingPropelling oneself airborne
rapid · speed · nerve impulse · electrical signal · propagation · potassium channels · voltage-gated · current flow
Nerve sheath degradation
- multiple sclerosisAutoimmune demyelinating neurological disease
- neuropathyDamage to peripheral nerves
- neurodegenerativeCausing brain cell death
- nerve damageInjured neural tissue
Unchanging total in closed systems
- electrophysiologyBiology's electrical activity science
- neurophysiologyStudy of neural function
gap
Unfilled space between
- internodeStem section between nodes
- axonNeuron's signal-sending projection
- myelin sheathLipid layer around axons
action potential
Neuron's rapid electrical discharge
- impulseSudden urge to act
- depolarizationLoss of electrical gradient
- repolarizationMembrane voltage reset
jumping · rapid · speed · nerve impulse · electrical signal · propagation · potassium channels · voltage-gated · current flow · threshold
demyelination
Nerve sheath degradation
- multiple sclerosisAutoimmune demyelinating neurological disease
- neuropathyDamage to peripheral nerves
- neurodegenerativeCausing brain cell death
energy conservation
Unchanging total in closed systems
- electrophysiologyBiology's electrical activity science
- neurophysiologyStudy of neural function
- neuroscienceneuron, MRI, brain, neurons, synapses
- Neurophysiologyneuron, action potential, neurotransmitter, nerve impulse, presynaptic
- Neuron Partsdendrite, dendrites, myelin sheath, synapse, cell body
- gliaastrocyte, astrocytes, microglia, neuroglia, radial glia
- myelinmyelin sheath, myelin basic protein, myelination, demyelination
- nerve signalsaction potential, nerve impulses, nerve impulse, nerve signals, neural activity