Thicker nerve fibers enable faster reactions in mice – Medical Xpress

In order for organisms to react swiftly to stimuli in their environment, they need rapid and precise transmission of nerve impulses along neural extensions known as axons. Whereas some invertebrates have developed very thick axons to increase the neural transmission speed, in vertebrate nervous systems a myelin sheath has formed around the axon. This insulating layer enables rapid stimulus conduction with a small axon diameter. Until now, however, no-one has identified a molecule that limits axo…

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