Dorsal root ganglion (spinal ganglion)A swelling on the dorsal root, full of sensory cell bodies. Nearly every spinal nerve has one on its dorsal root.
CapsuleA coat of dense connective tissue around the ganglion. It runs on into the covering of the nerve.
Bundles of nerve fibersBundles of nerve fibers run the length of the ganglion. They join the dorsal root to the spinal nerve.
Dorsal root (posterior root)The sensory root of a spinal nerve. Its fibers come from the cells of the ganglion and enter the spinal cord.
Ventral root (anterior root)The motor root, which has no ganglion. It passes beside the swelling and joins the dorsal root beyond it.
Spinal nerveThe two roots join here, just beyond the ganglion. The nerve carries both sensory and motor fibers.
The cells 7
Neuron cell body (ganglion cell)The round cell body of a sensory neuron. The cell bodies in a ganglion come in several sizes.
NucleusEach cell body has one large nucleus.
NucleolusA distinct dot inside the nucleus, easy to see on a slide.
Satellite cellsSmall flat glial cells that wrap each cell body. On a slide they show as a ring of small nuclei.
Single process, dividing in a TOne process leaves the cell and divides in a T. One branch runs to the spinal cord and the other out to the body.
Myelinated nerve fibersAxons wrapped in myelin, running among the cells. The large fibers of this ganglion are myelinated.
Connective tissueConnective tissue lies between the cells and around the fibers.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-03 in at least two of these. (1) Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 1918 (public domain), Structure of the Nervous System and The Spinal Nerves, https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/ix-neurology and https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/6-the-spinal-nerves. (2) Histology Guide, by T. Clark Brelje and Robert L. Sorenson of the University of Minnesota, virtual slides MH 050 Dorsal Root Ganglion and MH 059 Sympathetic Ganglia, https://histologyguide.com/slideview/MH-050-dorsal-root-ganglion/06-slide-1.html. (3) Wikipedia, English edition, Dorsal root ganglion, Satellite glial cell and Pseudounipolar neuron, text only. (4) Kenhub, Spinal ganglion, https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/dorsal-root-ganglion. (5) Jordan and Ferguson, A Text-book of Histology, 1916 (public domain), Ganglia, https://archive.org/details/textbookofhistol00jord. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry; nothing traced. A drawing of what a stained section shows, not a photograph. Licence: own work
How it works
To label the histology of a dorsal root ganglion, write a name on the line for each number. Numbers 1 to 6 are on the ganglion and its roots; 7 to 13 are on the cells, drawn enlarged.
Read the full guide
Dorsal root ganglion word bank
Thirteen names, A to Z: bundles of nerve fibers, capsule, connective tissue, dorsal root, dorsal root ganglion, myelinated nerve fibers, neuron cell body, nucleolus, nucleus, satellite cells, single process dividing in a T, spinal nerve, ventral root.
The numbers that get swapped
2 ends on the rim around the whole ganglion; 10 ends on the ring of small cells around one cell body. 3 ends on the streaked band through the ganglion, 12 on fibers drawn large, each in a row of sleeves. 8 ends on the large disc inside a cell, 9 on the dot inside that disc. 4 ends on the band that runs into the swelling, 5 on the band that passes under it.
When marking, accept spinal ganglion on line 1, posterior root on line 4, anterior root on line 5 and axon on line 11.
Some histology guides call satellite cells capsule cells: right on line 10, wrong on line 2.
The edge of the spinal cord is drawn at the left for place, but has no number.
Questions and answers
Is the dorsal root ganglion part of the CNS?
No. The central nervous system is the brain and the spinal cord. The ganglion lies outside the cord, on the dorsal root of a spinal nerve, and belongs to the peripheral nervous system.
Is the dorsal root ganglion sensory or motor?
Sensory. It holds the cell bodies of sensory neurons, and their fibers make up the dorsal root. Motor fibers leave the cord by the ventral root, line 5, which has no ganglion.
What do satellite cells do?
These are satellite glial cells, formerly called amphicytes, found in the ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. They supply nutrients to the neurons they wrap, give them structural support and cushion them.
Are ganglion cells neurons?
In a ganglion, yes. Histology texts call the large nerve cell bodies of a ganglion its ganglion cells, so line 7 takes neuron cell body or ganglion cell. The small flat cells around each one are a different kind, the satellite cells.