Neurophysiology and Motor Control

Front

Factors Affecting Action Potential Conduction Speed

Back

Axon diameter, myelination.

Front

Axon diameter

Back

Larger diameter leads to faster conduction.

Front

Myelination

Back

Presence of a myelin sheath drastically increases conduction speed (saltatory conduction).

Front

Orthodromic Conduction

Back

Conduction of the action potential in the natural physiological direction.

Front

Antidromic Conduction

Back

Conduction of the action potential in the opposite direction to the normal physiological direction.

Front

Obligatory Synapses

Back

A single presynaptic action potential is always sufficient to cause a postsynaptic action potential.

Front

Non-Obligatory Synapses

Back

A single presynaptic action potential is not sufficient to cause a postsynaptic action potential; summation is usually required.

Front

Spatial Summation

Back

Multiple postsynaptic potentials occurring at different synapses simultaneously are added together.

Front

Temporal Summation

Back

Multiple PSPs occurring at the same synapse in rapid succession are added together.

Front

Sensory Neurons

Back

Conduct impulses to the Central Nervous System (CNS).