CONDUCTION VELOCITY AND DIAMETER OF NERVE FIBERS

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Abstract
The relationship between the nerve fiber diam. and its velocity was investigated by an exptl. procedure depending upon the generally accepted assumption that in any given nerve the largest fiber conducts at the highest velocity. Thus the conduction velocities in the fastest fibers in various nerve trunks of the cat and the kitten were measured from oscillographic records, and the velocities detd. in this manner were correlated with the outside diams. of the largest fibers as measured in paraffin cross-sections of the nerve trunks. The limits of the range of velocities measured were 8 and 117 M per sec. The best curve relating velocity and diam. is a straight line. It holds equally well in all parts of the range of velocities. Curves drawn in accord with the hypothesis that the velocity varies as the square or square root of the diam. vary widely from the observed points. Comparative data relating internodal length to fiber diam. are plotted for nerve fibers from cats and kittens.

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