We factor in the number of neurons involved and the distance the signal has to travel

1 year ago
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We must also factor in the number of neurons involved and the distance the signal has to travel.Let see what this looks like in a simple pathway your knee-jerk reflex.A strike to your patellar tendon triggers an electrical impulse that travels up a sensory neuron to your spine.There the signal branches, and for the sake of simplicity,wel consider the segment that jumps into a motor neuron to journey back down your leg.The total length of the neurons in that pathway is about 1 meter in someone who is 5 foot 5 inches,and on average it takes 15 to 30 milliseconds from strike to kick.

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