On the relation between fibre diameter and conduction velocity in myelinated nerve fibres

Abstract

Myelinated fibres less than 1 $\mu $m in diameter are rare in the peripheral nervous system; but fibres down to 0.2 $\mu $m in diameter exist in the central nervous system. These observations are consistent with Rushton's theory on the effects of fibre size on conduction in myelinated nerve when the different processes of myelination in the peripheral and central nervous systems are taken into account.