> On Wed, 13 Aug 1997 Anders Sandberg <nv91-asa@nada.kth.se> Wrote:
> >Actually, myelinization does increase the speed of transmission in
> >the brain
>
> True, myelinization does help, but not much. Without myelinization a signal
> might move at 5 or 10 meters per second, in axons that have a thick myelin
> sheath around them nerve impulses reach about 100 meters per second.
> Light moves at 300,000,000 meters per second. I'm not impressed.
Well, as you point out, that is good enough for evolution. Even if we
could increase the axonal speed a lot, we would still be limited by
the synaptic transmission speed, which is on the order of
milliseconds. Making our brains significantly faster requires a
complete remodeling of the neurons.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
nv91-asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~nv91-asa/main.html
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