• 16 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Labeled Neuron Diagram

A motor neuron end to end, the three neuron shapes and a nerve cut across.

Labeled Neuron Diagram

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Dendrites
  2. Cell body (soma)
  3. Nucleus
  4. Axon hillock
  5. Axon
  6. Myelin sheath
  7. Node of Ranvier
  8. Schwann cell
  9. Axon terminals (synaptic end bulbs)
  10. Multipolar neuron
  11. Bipolar neuron
  12. Unipolar neuron
  13. Epineurium
  14. Perineurium
  15. Fascicle
  16. Endoneurium

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the eye, cornea to optic nerve

All 16 parts on the diagram

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Simple: the 9 parts of a neuron 9

  1. Dendrites Receive signals from other neurons and carry them towards the cell body.
  2. Cell body (soma) Holds the nucleus and most of the cell's machinery; signals pass across it to the axon.
  3. Nucleus Holds the neuron's DNA.
  4. Axon hillock Where the axon leaves the cell body; with the start of the axon it is the trigger zone where a signal starts.
  5. Axon Carries the signal away from the cell body, in some neurons for up to a metre.
  6. Myelin sheath A fatty wrapping that insulates the axon so signals travel faster.
  7. Node of Ranvier A gap in the myelin where the signal jumps from one node to the next.
  8. Schwann cell Wraps itself round one stretch of axon to make its myelin; its nucleus is the bulge on one side.
  9. Axon terminals (synaptic end bulbs) The branched ends of the axon; each bulb passes the signal across a synapse to the next cell.

Neuron shapes: 3 3

  1. Multipolar neuron One axon and two or more dendrites; the most common neuron, including motor neurons.
  2. Bipolar neuron One dendrite and one axon on opposite sides of the body; rare, found in the retina and the nose.
  3. Unipolar neuron One process leaves the body and splits in two; most sensory neurons are this shape.

A nerve cut across: 4 4

  1. Epineurium The tough outer layer of connective tissue round the whole nerve.
  2. Perineurium The layer of connective tissue round each fascicle.
  3. Fascicle A bundle of axons inside a nerve.
  4. Endoneurium Loose connective tissue round each single axon.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 12.2 Nervous Tissue, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/12-2-nervous-tissue : the major parts of a multipolar neuron; information flows from the dendrites across the cell body and down the axon; the axon hillock narrows into the initial segment, together the trigger zone; the axon terminal branches, each ending in a synaptic end bulb; myelin sheath; each gap is a node of Ranvier; a Schwann cell wraps one axon segment, its nucleus a bulge on one side of the sheath; unipolar, bipolar and multipolar cells by their number of processes; bipolar cells are not very common. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 13.4 The Peripheral Nervous System, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/13-4-the-peripheral-nervous-system : epineurium, fascicles wrapped in perineurium, endoneurium round individual axons. Wikipedia, Neuron, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron (soma, dendrites, axon hillock, axon, axon terminals, myelin, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier, unipolar, bipolar and multipolar neurons) and Nerve, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve (endoneurium, fascicles, perineurium, epineurium), used as the second source. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This labeled neuron diagram shows a motor neuron from its dendrites to its axon terminals, then the three neuron shapes and a nerve cut across. The simple set asks the 9 parts of the neuron; print it blank for an unlabeled copy.

Read the full guide

How a signal travels

A signal comes in through the dendrites, crosses the cell body and starts at the axon hillock. It runs down the axon, jumping from one node of Ranvier to the next under the myelin sheath, and leaves through the synaptic end bulbs at the axon terminals.

Three shapes, one nerve

A multipolar neuron has many dendrites and one axon, a bipolar neuron one of each, and a unipolar neuron a single process that splits in two. A nerve bundles many axons: endoneurium round each axon, perineurium round each fascicle, epineurium round the whole nerve.

  • Outside the brain and spinal cord each myelin segment is one Schwann cell; the bulge on its side is its nucleus.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a neuron and a nerve?

A neuron is one nerve cell. A nerve is a cable of many axons from many neurons, bundled into fascicles and wrapped in connective tissue.

What does the myelin sheath do?

It insulates the axon. The signal skips from one node of Ranvier to the next instead of creeping along the whole fibre, so it travels much faster.

Which way does a signal travel through a neuron?

From the dendrites, across the cell body and down the axon to the axon terminals, where it passes across a synapse to the next cell.

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