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Saltatory conduction. In neuroscience, nerve conduction velocity (CV) is the speed at which an electrochemical impulse propagates down a neural pathway.Conduction velocities are affected by a wide array of factors, which include age, sex, and various medical conditions.
There are four subdivisions of group A nerve fibers: alpha (α) Aα; beta (β) Aβ; , gamma (γ) Aγ, and delta (δ) Aδ. These subdivisions have different amounts of myelination and axon thickness and therefore transmit signals at different speeds. Larger diameter axons and more myelin insulation lead to faster signal propagation.
An axon can divide into many branches called telodendria (Greek for 'end of tree'). At the end of each telodendron is an axon terminal (also called a terminal bouton or synaptic bouton, or end-foot). [20] Axon terminals contain synaptic vesicles that store the neurotransmitter for release at the synapse. This makes multiple synaptic connections ...
As a general rule, myelination increases the conduction velocity of action potentials and makes them more energy-efficient. Whether saltatory or not, the mean conduction velocity of an action potential ranges from 1 meter per second (m/s) to over 100 m/s, and, in general, increases with axonal diameter. [p]
Myelinated axons only allow action potentials to occur at the unmyelinated nodes of Ranvier that occur between the myelinated internodes. It is by this restriction that saltatory conduction propagates an action potential along the axon of a neuron at rates significantly higher than would be possible in unmyelinated axons (150 m/s compared from 0.5 to 10 m/s). [1]
The model is based on data from the squid giant axon and consists of nonlinear differential equations that approximate the electrical characteristics of a neuron, including the generation and propagation of action potentials. The model is so successful at describing these characteristics that variations of its "conductance-based" formulation ...
In that study, an increase in muscle fiber conduction velocity was observed when there was a higher level of voluntary muscle contraction, which agrees with the gradual recruitment of higher-force muscle types. [16] In Wistar rats, it was found that cell size is the crucial property in determining neuronal recruitment. [17]
The conduction velocity is measured in meters per second. It is obtained by dividing the distance between the stimulation site and the recording site by the latency: Conduction velocity = Distance/Latency. Sensory NCS: An example screenshot showing the results of a sensory nerve conduction velocity study of the right median nerve.