Passage of an action potential along an unmyelinated axon

• If an action potential moves along an unmyelinated axon, the wave of depolarisation moves to the adjacent resting region where sodium ions go on to trigger a change in potential difference, creating an action potential.
• Unmyelinated neurones pass action potentials along their axons much slower than myelinated neurones, since the events of depolarisation have to occur across the entire axon, yet in a myelinated axon, only the nodes of Ranvier are involved in transmission of the nerve impulse (saltatory conduction).