# Neuron diagram with labels

> Free labelled neuron diagram with 9 parts of a motor neuron, an unlabelled version and a printable worksheet. Learn what each part does. SVG, PNG, PDF.

URL: https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/neuron-diagram

A neuron is a nerve cell that carries electrical and chemical signals. Its dendrites receive signals and pass them to the cell body (soma), which holds the nucleus; the signal then travels from the axon hillock along a single axon, insulated by a myelin sheath with gaps called nodes of Ranvier, to the axon terminals, which pass it on to the next cell. This free diagram of a multipolar motor neuron labels 9 parts and comes unlabelled and as a numbered worksheet with an answer key.

Last updated 26 October 2026

Free download Labelled and unlabelled Printable worksheet CC BY 4.0

Labelled Unlabelled Worksheet

![Labelled diagram of a multipolar motor neuron: branched dendrites around the cell body (soma) with its nucleus, the axon hillock, an axon wrapped in a myelin sheath made by Schwann cells with gaps called nodes of Ranvier, and branched axon terminals ending in synaptic knobs, with an arrow showing the direction of the nerve impulse.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-labeled.svg)

![Neuron diagram without labels](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-unlabeled.svg)

![Neuron labelling worksheet with numbered blanks](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-worksheet.svg)

Neuron diagram by LabCanvas (labcanvas.com), CC BY 4.0

## Download the neuron diagram

[**Labelled (SVG)** Vector, sharp at any size](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-labeled.svg)[**Labelled (PNG)** 3200 px, transparent background](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-labeled.png)[**Unlabelled (SVG)** Vector, sharp at any size](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-unlabeled.svg)[**Unlabelled (PNG)** 3200 px, transparent background](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-unlabeled.png)[**Worksheet (PNG)** 3200 px, transparent background](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-worksheet.png)[**Worksheet + answer key (PDF)** A4, ready to print](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/neuron-diagram/neuron-diagram-worksheet.pdf)[**Edit it in LabCanvas** Change colours, labels and layout](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?diagram=neuron-diagram)

Free to use in homework, teaching, slides, posters and publications under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please credit: `Neuron diagram by LabCanvas (labcanvas.com), CC BY 4.0`

## Parts of the neuron and what they do

| # | Part | What it is or does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Dendrites | Short, branched extensions of the cell body that receive signals from other neurons and carry them towards the cell body. |
| 2 | Nucleus | Holds the neuron's DNA and controls the cell; it sits in the cell body. |
| 3 | Cell body (soma) | The main part of the neuron, containing the nucleus and most organelles; it combines the incoming signals and keeps the cell alive. |
| 4 | Axon | A single long extension that carries the nerve impulse (action potential) away from the cell body towards other cells. |
| 5 | Axon terminals | Branched endings of the axon (synaptic terminals); they release neurotransmitter at synapses to pass the signal to another neuron, muscle or gland. |
| 6 | Axon hillock | Cone-shaped region where the axon leaves the cell body; signals are added up here, and if they are strong enough an action potential starts. |
| 7 | Schwann cell | Glial cell of the peripheral nervous system that wraps around a section of the axon to form the myelin sheath; its nucleus lies on the outside. |
| 8 | Myelin sheath | Fatty insulating layers of glial cell membrane wrapped around the axon; it makes the nerve impulse travel much faster. |
| 9 | Node of Ranvier | Short gap in the myelin sheath between two glial cells where the axon is exposed; the impulse jumps from node to node (saltatory conduction). |

## How to label a neuron diagram

**Find the cell body** Start with the large rounded part with a purple nucleus inside. That is the cell body (soma), and the nucleus is in its centre.

**Label the dendrites** The many short, tree-like branches growing out of the cell body are dendrites. They bring signals in.

**Follow the axon** Find the one long fibre leaving the cell body. Where it narrows into a cone is the axon hillock, and the fibre itself is the axon.

**Label the insulation** The blue sausage-shaped segments along the axon form the myelin sheath. Each one is made by a Schwann cell, whose nucleus shows on the outside. The bare gaps between segments are the nodes of Ranvier.

**Finish at the end of the axon** The small branches with round knobs at the end of the axon are the axon terminals. Follow the arrow to check the direction of the impulse, then check your answers against the key.

## Dendrites vs axon

| Feature | Dendrites | Axon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number per neuron | Usually many | Usually one (it may branch at its end) |
| Direction of signal | Towards the cell body | Away from the cell body |
| Shape | Short and highly branched, tapering | Long and thin, of even width |
| Myelin sheath | No | Often (myelinated axons) |
| Ends in | Fine branches near the cell body | Axon terminals that form synapses |

## How a signal travels through a neuron

Signals from other neurons arrive at the **dendrites** and the **cell body**. They are added together at the **axon hillock**; if the combined signal is strong enough, an action potential (nerve impulse) starts and travels along the **axon**. In a myelinated axon the impulse jumps from one **node of Ranvier** to the next, which is much faster than moving along a bare axon. At the **axon terminals** the impulse causes chemical messengers called neurotransmitters to be released into the synapse, where they act on the next neuron, a muscle fibre or a gland.

## Myelin: Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes

Myelin is made by glial cells, the support cells of the nervous system. In the peripheral nervous system (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord) each **Schwann cell** wraps around one section of one axon. In the central nervous system **oligodendrocytes** do the same job, and one oligodendrocyte can myelinate sections of several axons. Damage to myelin slows or blocks nerve signals, which is what happens in multiple sclerosis.

## Types of neurons

Neurons are grouped by shape. **Multipolar** neurons, such as the motor neuron shown here, have one axon and many dendrites. **Bipolar** neurons have one axon and one dendrite, as in the retina. **Unipolar** and **pseudounipolar** neurons have a single process from the cell body; many sensory neurons are pseudounipolar. By job, sensory neurons carry information to the central nervous system, motor neurons carry commands from it to muscles and glands, and interneurons connect neurons within it.

## Quick quiz

**1. Which part of a neuron receives signals from other neurons?**

- Axon terminals
- Dendrites
- Myelin sheath
- Node of Ranvier

**Answer: b) Dendrites.** Dendrites receive incoming signals and carry them towards the cell body.

**2. Which cells make the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system?**

- Oligodendrocytes
- Astrocytes
- Schwann cells
- Red blood cells

**Answer: c) Schwann cells.** Schwann cells wrap around axons in the peripheral nervous system; oligodendrocytes do this in the brain and spinal cord.

**3. What are the gaps in the myelin sheath called?**

- Synapses
- Nodes of Ranvier
- Axon hillocks
- Dendrites

**Answer: b) Nodes of Ranvier.** Nodes of Ranvier are the exposed gaps between myelinated sections.

**4. Where does an action potential usually start?**

- Axon hillock
- Axon terminal
- Nucleus
- Dendrite tip

**Answer: a) Axon hillock.** Signals are added up at the axon hillock, where an action potential starts if the threshold is reached.

**5. In which direction does the impulse travel along the axon?**

- Towards the cell body
- Away from the cell body
- Both ways equally
- Only between dendrites

**Answer: b) Away from the cell body.** The axon carries the impulse away from the cell body towards the axon terminals.

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the parts of a neuron?

A typical neuron has dendrites, a cell body (soma) containing the nucleus, an axon hillock, an axon (often covered by a myelin sheath with gaps called nodes of Ranvier) and axon terminals that form synapses with other cells.

### What is the function of the myelin sheath?

The myelin sheath insulates the axon so that the nerve impulse jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next. This makes signals travel much faster than along an unmyelinated axon.

### What is the difference between dendrites and axons?

Dendrites are short, branched and usually many; they carry signals towards the cell body. The axon is usually single and long; it carries signals away from the cell body to other cells.

### What are nodes of Ranvier?

Nodes of Ranvier are small gaps in the myelin sheath between neighbouring glial cells. The axon membrane is exposed there, and the action potential jumps from node to node (saltatory conduction).

### What is the axon hillock?

The axon hillock is the cone-shaped region where the axon joins the cell body. Incoming signals are added up there, and if they reach the threshold an action potential begins.

### What do axon terminals do?

Axon terminals release neurotransmitters into the synapse. The neurotransmitters bind to receptors on the next neuron, muscle cell or gland cell and pass the signal on.

### Is a motor neuron multipolar?

Yes. A motor neuron is a multipolar neuron: it has many dendrites and a single long axon that carries commands from the brain or spinal cord to a muscle.

## Sources

- [OpenStax Biology 2e, 35.1 Neurons and Glial Cells (CC BY 4.0)](https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/35-1-neurons-and-glial-cells)
- [OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 12.2 Nervous Tissue (CC BY 4.0)](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/12-2-nervous-tissue)

Facts on this page follow these introductory textbooks (OpenStax, CC BY 4.0). The diagram is a simplified illustration; organelles are not drawn to scale.

## More free diagrams

[![Labelled diagram of the human eye in side section: eyelids lined by the conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber filled with aqueous humour, pupil, iris, lens held by suspensory ligaments from the ciliary body, sclera, choroid, retina with the fovea (macula), optic disc (blind spot), optic nerve and the vitreous humour filling the inside of the eyeball.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/eye-diagram/eye-diagram.webp) Human eye diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/eye-diagram)

[![Labelled diagram of the human ear in section, divided into outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Labels: pinna (auricle), external auditory canal, tympanic membrane (eardrum), malleus, incus, stapes, middle ear cavity, Eustachian tube, oval window, round window, semicircular canals, vestibule, cochlea and vestibulocochlear nerve.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/ear-diagram/ear-diagram.webp) Ear diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/ear-diagram)

[![Labelled animal cell diagram: a rounded cell showing the plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus with nucleolus and a nuclear envelope with pores, rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, vesicles, mitochondria, lysosome, peroxisome, centrosome with two centrioles, cytoskeleton fibres and ribosomes.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/animal-cell-diagram/animal-cell-diagram.webp) Animal cell diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/animal-cell-diagram)

[![Labeled diagram of a section of cell membrane (fluid mosaic model) with extracellular fluid above and cytoplasm below. Labels: extracellular fluid, carbohydrate chain, glycoprotein, glycolipid, channel protein, cholesterol, peripheral protein, integral protein, cytoskeleton filaments, cytoplasm, hydrophobic tails, phospholipid bilayer and hydrophilic head.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/cell-membrane-diagram/cell-membrane-diagram.webp) Cell membrane diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/cell-membrane-diagram)

[![Labelled diagram of a human heart in frontal section, seen from the front: superior and inferior vena cava, right atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle, chordae tendineae, papillary muscle, pulmonary valve, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, left atrium, mitral (bicuspid) valve, left ventricle, interventricular septum, aortic valve and aorta, with blue arrows for deoxygenated blood and red arrows for oxygenated blood.](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagram-files/heart-diagram/heart-diagram.webp) Heart diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/diagrams/heart-diagram)

## Make your own science diagrams

LabCanvas is a browser workspace for scientific figures, slides and posters, with adjustable cells, organelles and molecules.

[Edit this diagram](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?diagram=neuron-diagram)