Proton Hopping: A Proposed Mechanism for Myelinated Axon Nerve Impulses

Myelinated axon nerve impulses travel 100 times more rapidly than impulses in non-myelinated axons. Increased speed is currently believed to be due to ‘hopping’ or ‘saltatory propagation’ along the axon, but the mechanism by which impulses flow has never been adequately explained. We have used modeling approaches to simulate a role for proton hopping in the space between the plasma membrane and myelin sheath as the mechanism of nerve action-potential flow.