A neuron with myelinated axons can conduct the impulse at a faster speed since the myelin sheath acts as the insulator that helps to propagate the electrical signal faster. A neuron with unmyelinated axon has a comparatively lower speed of conduction of the nerve signals.

Impulse conduction is fastest is neurons that are E. myelinated. Myelin is a fatty sheath that wraps around the neural axon. Myelinated axons transmit signals via saltatory conduction, which is a faster and more energy efficient method of impulse conduction compared to continuous conduction on unmyelinated axons.

Action potential propagation in myelinated neurons is faster than in unmyelinated neurons because of saltatory conduction.

Myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers are the two forms of nerve fibers that are found in the nervous system. The main difference between myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers is that myelinated nerve fibers contain a myelin insulation whereas unmyelinated nerve fibers do not contain a myeline insulation.

When we talk about myelinated neuron, this simply means that the axon is covered by myelin sheath. If we talk about unmyelinated neuron, this means the axon is not covered by this myelin sheath. This then means that the conduction of nerve impulse is slower.

By acting as an electrical insulator, myelin greatly speeds up action potential conduction (Figure 3.14). For example, whereas unmyelinated axon conduction velocities range from about 0.5 to 10 m/s, myelinated axons can conduct at velocities up to 150 m/s.

How does conduction along a myelinated fiber differ from conduction along an unmyelinated fiber? Conduction of an action potential is much faster along a myelinated fiber than along an unmyelinated one because the action potential can jump from node to node along the fiber.

Myelinated axons are present in sensory neurons and motor neurons. But all the motor neurons are not myelinated. Some are unmyelinated as well. Motor neurons of the somatic nervous system are myelinated and the motor neurons of the upper motor neurons are myelinated.

Myelin can greatly increase the speed of electrical impulses in neurons because it insulates the axon and assembles voltage-gated sodium channel clusters at discrete nodes along its length.

Suggestions for the advantages include: Myelin speeds the conduction of nerve impulses by a factor of 10 compared to unmyelinated fibers of the same diameter. Decreases reaction times to stimuli: Promotes the ability to escape from sudden predatory attack.

Myelination improves the conduction velocity — the speed with which action potentials travel — in axons. Axon diameter also affects conduction velocity: fatter axons carry action potentials faster. So there are two factors that determine how fast an action potential travels down an axon: diameter and myelination ( Suzuki, 2010 ).

Myelinated neurons possess myelinated axons, and unmyelinated neurons possess unmyelinated axons. The key difference between myelinated axon and unmyelinated axon is that myelinated axons have a myelin sheath while unmyelinated axons do not have a myelin sheath.

Despite having much smaller diameters, myelinated axons achieve much higher action potential propagation velocities than do unmyelinated axons. Note the differences in the action potential velocity (y-axis) and axon diameter (x-axis) scales of the two plots.

In Unmyelinated fibers electrical impulses (action potentials) ”hop” or propagate by saltatory conduction and can lose the nerve impulse during conduction. Unmyelinated nerve fibers do not have nodes of Ranvier.