Neuron Model

Quick Answer: A neuron model is a greatly enlarged three-dimensional representation of a nerve cell, the cell that carries electrical signals through the nervous system. It is used to teach the parts of a neuron, where an impulse starts, how myelin speeds it up and how the signal passes to the next cell.

Following an Impulse Along the Model

A neuron model is easiest to read in the direction the signal travels. Dendrites branch from the cell body and receive signals from other neurons. The cell body, or soma, contains the nucleus and clumps of rough endoplasmic reticulum called Nissl bodies, which make the proteins the cell needs. Where the axon leaves the cell body there is a cone-shaped region, the axon hillock, and the initial segment just beyond it is where an action potential is usually triggered once incoming signals push the membrane past threshold.

Along the axon, the model typically shows segments of myelin sheath with gaps between them. In peripheral nerves each segment is wrapped by a Schwann cell; in the brain and spinal cord oligodendrocytes do the job. Because the impulse jumps from gap to gap, a process called saltatory conduction, myelinated fibres conduct far faster than unmyelinated ones. At the far end the axon splits into terminals, and on models of motor neurons these end on a muscle fibre at the neuromuscular junction.

Neurons are grouped by shape, as multipolar, bipolar and unipolar, and by role, as sensory, motor and relay neurons. The title does not say which type this model shows or whether it includes a synapse or muscle fibre. The separately listed nerve cell model covers the same cell with a focus on its basic parts.

Applications

• Secondary biology lessons on neuron structure and the reflex arc
• Explaining resting potential, action potential and saltatory conduction in college physiology
• Showing the neuromuscular junction when teaching muscle contraction
• Nursing and physiotherapy lessons on demyelinating conditions such as multiple sclerosis

Care & Handling

• Stand or hang the neuron model where its fine dendrite branches cannot be knocked; the thin projections are its most fragile parts.
• Dust it with a soft paintbrush rather than a cloth, which can catch on the branches.
• Keep it out of strong sunlight so the colour coding of the myelin and cell body stays clear.

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Biology departments and physiology teachers buy models of nerve cells so students can see in three dimensions a cell they otherwise know only from flat diagrams. It is part of LabEquip’s biology lab products; to confirm which neuron type is modelled, use the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does a nerve impulse start in a neuron?

Usually at the axon hillock and the initial segment just beyond it. This zone has a high density of voltage-gated sodium channels, so it is the first place where the combined incoming signals can reach threshold and fire an action potential.

What is saltatory conduction?

It is the way an impulse travels along a myelinated axon, jumping from one node of Ranvier to the next instead of spreading continuously. Myelin insulates the stretches between nodes, so conduction is much faster than in an unmyelinated fibre of the same diameter.

What are Nissl bodies?

They are clusters of rough endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes in the cell body and dendrites. They make proteins, including the enzymes needed to produce neurotransmitters, and they stain darkly, which is how they were first described by Franz Nissl.

Which cells make myelin?

Schwann cells make myelin in the peripheral nervous system, each wrapping a single segment of one axon. In the brain and spinal cord oligodendrocytes do the job, and one oligodendrocyte can myelinate segments of several axons.

What happens at the neuromuscular junction?

The motor neuron terminal releases acetylcholine, which crosses a narrow gap and binds to receptors on the muscle fibre. This triggers an electrical signal in the muscle that leads to contraction. An enzyme then breaks the acetylcholine down so the muscle can relax.

What goes wrong in multiple sclerosis?

The immune system damages the myelin in the brain and spinal cord. Without intact myelin, impulses slow down or fail, which can cause numbness, weakness, visual problems or poor coordination. Seeing the sheath on a model helps explain why losing insulation affects signalling.

Last Updated: September 2026