Check all of the factors that would increase the speed of an action potential.Check All That ApplyAxons with larger diametersAxons with larger diametersAxons with smaller diametersAxons with smaller diametersDecreased thickness of myelin sheathDecreased thickness of myelin sheathIncreased thickness of myelin sheath Increased thickness of myelin sheathPresence of myelinPresence of myelinAbsence of myelin
Question
Check all of the factors that would increase the speed of an action potential.Check All That ApplyAxons with larger diametersAxons with larger diametersAxons with smaller diametersAxons with smaller diametersDecreased thickness of myelin sheathDecreased thickness of myelin sheathIncreased thickness of myelin sheath Increased thickness of myelin sheathPresence of myelinPresence of myelinAbsence of myelin
Solution 1
The factors that would increase the speed of an action potential are:
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Axons with larger diameters: Larger axons have less resistance to the flow of ions, allowing the action potential to travel faster.
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Increased thickness of myelin sheath: The myelin sheath acts as an insulator, preventing ion leakage and allowing the action potential to jump between nodes of Ranvier in a process called saltatory conduction, which speeds up the transmission.
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Presence of myelin: Myelin sheaths insulate the axon and increase the speed of action potentials. Without myelin, the action potential would have to propagate continuously along the axon, which is slower.
Solution 2
The factors that would increase the speed of an action potential are:
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Axons with larger diameters: Larger axons have less resistance to the flow of ions, allowing the action potential to travel faster.
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Increased thickness of myelin sheath: The myelin sheath acts as an insulator, preventing the leakage of ions and speeding up the transmission of action potentials. The thicker the myelin sheath, the faster the action potential can travel.
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Presence of myelin: Myelin sheaths are essential for fast action potential propagation. In their absence, the action potential would have to travel the entire length of the axon, which would significantly slow down its speed.
Similar Questions
Action potentials travel fastest on large diameter, myelinated axons.Group startsTrue or FalseTrue, unselectedFalse, unselected
The speed of action potential conduction along an axon Blank______ on the myelination of the axon.Multiple choice question.dependsdoes not depend
Action potentials are conducted more rapidly along an axon with a Blank______ diameter.Multiple choice question.largersmaller
Large-diameter axons conduction action potentials more quickly than small-diameter axons because the large one have Blank______.Multiple choice question.more neurotransmittersthicker myelin sheathsfewer voltage-gated sodium channelsmore surface area
Why is saltatory conduction along a myelinated axon faster than continuous conduction along an unmyelinated axon?Multiple ChoiceSince many more voltage-gated channels are located along a myelinated axon, the conduction rate all along the axon is more rapid than along an unmyelinated axon having fewer channels.Since the bioelectric current travels very fast along the membrane surfaces surrounded by myelin (under the Schwann cells), the overall impulse conduction rate is very rapid.The lack of myelin around unmyelinated axons causes them to be unable to conduct impulses; therefore the myelinated axons will have a faster impulse conduction rate.Since action potentials do not occur along with the areas of the axon membrane that are covered by myelin, myelinated axons have less membrane surface that will conduct the impulse.
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