Axon Diameter

The speed of conduction in a nerve fiber is determined by the electrical properties of the cytoplasm and
the plasma membrane that surrounds the fiber, as well as by its geometry. As the diameter of a fiber
increases, ra decreases with the square of the diameter, and rm increases only linearly with diameter; as
a result, resistance to current flow down the axon decreases more than it does to current flow across
the membrane. This increases the length constant, which means that a greater amount of the current
entering at one site is delivered to neighboring regions of the axon, thus the action potential is
conducted faster along fibers with large diameters.

This concept is known as resistance and is generally true for electrical wires or plumbing, just as it is true
for axons,

Myelination

Propagation along an unmyelinated axon is referred to as continuous conduction; along the length of a
myelinated axon, it is saltatory conduction. Continuous conduction is slow because there are always
voltage-gated Na+ channels opening, and more and more Na+ is rushing into the cell.

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/LabManuals/BBB251/NIA/NEUROLAB/APPENDIX/temptran.htm

In neurons, action potentials play a central role in cell–cell communication by providing for—or with
regard to saltatory conduction, assisting—the propagation of signals along the neuron's axon toward
synaptic boutons situated at the ends of an axon; these signals can then connect with other neurons at
synapses, or to motor cells or glands.

In other types of cells, their main function is to activate intracellular processes. In muscle cells, for
example, an action potential is the first step in the chain of events leading to contraction. In beta cells of
the pancreas, they provoke release of insulin.[a] Action potentials in neurons are also known as "nerve
impulses" or "spikes", and the temporal sequence of action potentials generated by a neuron is called its
"spike train".

Local anesthetics act by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels, thus preventing transmission of signals
in pain and sensory fibers. Specifically, local anesthetics must pass through the plasma membrane, then
bind to and block the channel pore while it is open.

Action potentials occur in several types of animal cells, called excitable cells, which include neurons,
muscle cells, and some plant cells. It is essential to our understanding of the nervous system’s function.
Its shape, velocity of conduction, and propagation fidelity are essential to neuronal communication's
timing, synchrony, and efficacy. In neurons, they are known as "nerve impulses" or "spikes", and the
temporal sequence of action potentials is called the “spike train”. In other types of cells, their main
function is to activate intracellular processes. In muscle cells, it is the first step in the chain of events
leading to contraction. In beta cells of the pancreas, it provokes the release of insulin. Its known clinical
significance is in local anesthetics, which act by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels, thus preventing
the transmission of signals in pain and sensory fibers.