Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Modeling Biological Membranes with Circuit Boards and Measuring Electrical Signals in Axons: Student Laboratory Exercises
Published on: January 18, 2011
On the conduction velocity of nonmyelinated nerve fibers
1LIMB, NICHD and LCMR, NIMH, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Nerve impulse conduction in nonmyelinated nerve fibers is analyzed by considering this process as a direct consequence of the coexistence of two structurally distinct regions, active and resting. Assuming that the active (i.e. swollen) region of the fiber is in direct contact with the resting (i.e. shrunken) region, a simple procedure for deriving the conduction velocity equation is described. The physico-chemical significance of the quantities in this velocity equation is briefly discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Propagation of Action Potentials
Neurons (nerve cells) have a resting membrane potential, with a slightly negative charge inside compared to outside. This is maintained by ion channels, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) channels, which control the flow of ions. When a stimulus, like a touch or a signal from another neuron, triggers the neuron, sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to...
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
Action Potentials
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Drift Velocity

