An animal’s brain consists of two different types of cell: neurons, which process and transmit information, and glial cells, which support the neurons in a variety of ways. In 1871, the French anatomist Louis-Antoine Ranvier demonstrated something special about neurons in vertebrates: on the extensions of these nerve cells there are ring-shaped regions which lack a surrounding sheath—the myelin formed by glial cells. Together with the electrically insulating myelin sheath, the so-called nodes of Ranvier form a basis for electrical nerve impulses to be transferred very rapidly over longer distances. They “jump” from node to node at a speed of up to 100 meters per second. This “saltatory conduction” has long been seen as being specific to vertebrates.
Click here for original story, Researchers find structures that enable rapid transmission of nerve impulses in insects
Source: Phys.org