Final answer:
Saltatory conduction in myelinated axons is a rapid form of nerve impulse transmission where action potentials jump from one Node of Ranvier to another, in contrast to the slower continuous conduction in unmyelinated axons.
Step-by-step explanation:
Saltatory conduction is a method of nerve impulse transmission in myelinated axons where the action potential 'jumps' from one Node of Ranvier to the next. This process is faster than continuous conduction, which occurs in unmyelinated axons where voltage-gated Na+ channels are distributed along the entire length of the axon, resulting in a slower transmission of the nerve impulse. In addition to myelination, the axonal diameter also affects conduction velocity, with larger diameters providing less resistance and enabling faster propagation of the depolarization.
Saltatory conduction is facilitated by the clustering of voltage-gated channels at the nodes of Ranvier, allowing for the regeneration of the action potential at each node.