Question

What is saltatory conduction? And how does it occur?

Answer 1

Dear Student

The conduction in which nerve impulse jumps along the myelinated axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, then it is called saltatory conduction. During development of neurons, the schwann cells in PNS and oligodendrocytes in CNS wrap around the axon of nerve cells, forming an insulation cover on axon. At some points along the length of axon, there are gaps in insulation. These gaps are called nodes of Ranvier. Voltage gated sodium ion channels are restricted only to these nodes. As a result, nerve impulse jumps node to node instead of travelling along the entire length of axon. This speeds up the conduction.

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