Physiology
A nerve conveys information in the form of electrochemical impulses (known as nerve impulses or action potentials) carried by the individual neurons that make up the nerve. These impulses are extremely fast, with some myelinated neurons conducting at speeds up to 120 m/s. The impulses travel from one neuron to another by crossing a synapse, the message is converted from electrical to chemical and then back to electrical.
Nerves can be categorized into two groups based on function:
- Sensory nerves conduct sensory information from their receptors to the central nervous system, where the information is then processed. Thus they are synonymous with afferent nerves.
- Motor nerves conduct signals from the central nervous system to muscles. Thus they are synonymous with efferent nerves.
Read more about this topic: Nerve
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