What are the advantages of saltatory conduction?

· The myelin sheath means that action potentials can occur only at the gaps between the Schwann cells that make up the myelin sheath.· Effectively the action potential jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next.· This speeds up the transmission of the action potential along the neurone.· Myelinated neurones conduct action potentials more quickly than non-myelinated neurones.· A myelinated neurone can conduct an action potential at up to 120 ms-1.