Chapter 4.3, Problem 4CYU

Summary Introduction

To explain:

Saltatory conduction propagates action potential more rapidly than contiguous conduction.

Introduction:

An action potential is a short, quick, large (100 mV) membrane potential change, during which the potential is reversed to make the inner cell more positive than the exterior. The axon hillock is the trigger area for the neuron because it is the site where the action potential is activated or initiated by a sufficiently large graded potential. When the axon hillock initiates an action potential, the rest of the nerve fiber is not activated by any more triggering effect. The impulse is carried out automatically throughout the neuron by one of two modes of transmission: adjacent conduction and saltatory conduction, without further stimulus.