Node of Ranvier

Nodes of Ranvier

Gray's Anatomy diagram

Diagram of a neuron, showing the Nodes of Ranvier

Nodes of Ranvier are gaps in the myelin sheath of a nerve cell's axon. They have multiple ion channels, allowing ions to move in or out of the axon at those points.

This means the gaps are not insulated from the spaces which surround them (the intracellular space). When impulses move along an axon, they will seem to "jump" from one node to the next along the axon. This is known as saltatory conduction (Latin saltare "to hop or leap").

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Node Of Ranvier Media

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Node of Ranvier in the peripheral nervous system
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Nodes of Ranvier in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
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Louis Antoine Ranvier (1835–1922)
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Complete neuron cell diagram
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Medullated nerve fibers stained with silver nitrate