Why does saltatory conduction dramatically increase action potential speed in myelinated neurons, rather than the signal degrading over distance?

💡 Explanation

Saltatory conduction increases action potential speed because the myelin sheath insulates the axon, forcing the action potential to regenerate only at the Nodes of Ranvier via voltage-gated ion channels. Therefore, the signal 'jumps' long distances rapidly, rather than slowly propagating along the entire membrane.

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