What does a diagram of a neuron show?

It shows the parts of a nerve cell and the path a signal takes through it. Ours labels dendrites, the cell body and nucleus, axon hillock, axon, myelin sheath, Schwann cell, node of Ranvier and axon terminals.

How do I draw a neuron diagram?

Draw a star-shaped cell body with a round nucleus, add branching dendrites, then a long axon leaving from a cone-shaped hillock. Wrap the axon in oval myelin segments with small gaps, end it in branched terminals, and label each part. Or copy this neuron diagram and edit it.

How do neurons communicate, with a diagram?

An electrical impulse travels along the axon to the terminals, which release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. The neurotransmitter binds receptors on the next cell and changes its membrane potential. Our drawing shows the first part, the path through one neuron.

Where can I find a labeled diagram of a neuron?

Right here. The Labeled tab shows ten labels with leader lines, and the PNG and SVG buttons download it free.

Is this a motor neuron diagram?

Yes, it has the typical motor neuron form: a multipolar cell body with many dendrites and one long myelinated axon. A sensory neuron would have its cell body to one side of the axon.

What is the postsynaptic membrane on a neuron diagram?

It is the membrane of the receiving cell at a synapse, packed with receptors for the neurotransmitter. It appears in synapse drawings, beyond the axon terminals where this neuron diagram ends.

What parts are labeled on the neuron diagram?

Dendrites, nucleus, cell body (soma), axon hillock, axon, node of Ranvier, myelin sheath, Schwann cell and axon terminals, plus an arrow for the direction of the nerve impulse.

Does it show the direction of the impulse?

Yes. An arrow below the axon points from the cell body toward the terminals, the one-way direction in which an impulse travels. Impulses run one way because only the terminals release neurotransmitter, and the stretch of membrane just behind an impulse is briefly refractory.

Is there a blank neuron diagram?

Yes. The Blank tab shows the same drawing with the leader lines but without label text, for practice or tests.

Can I download it as PNG or SVG?

Yes. The labeled version downloads as PNG or SVG, and the blank version as PNG.

Can I edit the labels?

Yes. Click "Customize this diagram" to copy it into your account, then edit any label, leader line or color and export the result.

Neuron Diagram

This neuron diagram shows a myelinated nerve cell from end to end: branching dendrites, the cell body with its nucleus, the axon hillock, an axon wrapped in myelin with nodes of Ranvier, and the axon terminals, with an arrow for the direction of the nerve impulse. Download it labeled or blank, or open your own copy in the editor and change any label.

PNG SVG

Labeled diagram of a myelinated neuron showing dendrites, cell body, nucleus, axon hillock, axon, myelin sheath, Schwann cell, node of Ranvier and axon terminals | neuron diagram

PNG and SVG downloads are free for study, teaching and presentations. Customize copies the diagram into your account, where every label, line and color can be edited.

Labeled Neuron Diagram

The drawing above is a neuron diagram labeled with ten items, laid out left to right in the order a signal travels: it is received by the dendrites, summed at the cell body, started at the axon hillock, conducted along the axon and passed on at the terminals. The table gives each part a one-line function you can learn from.

Parts shown in the diagram and what each one does.
Part	Function
Dendrites	Short, branched extensions that receive chemical signals from other neurons and carry them toward the cell body.
Cell body (soma)	Contains the nucleus and most organelles; it keeps the cell alive and combines the incoming signals.
Nucleus	Holds the DNA and directs the production of proteins, including neurotransmitter-making enzymes and ion channels.
Axon hillock	The cone-shaped region where the axon leaves the soma; if the summed input reaches threshold, the action potential starts here.
Axon	A long, thin fibre that conducts the action potential away from the cell body, sometimes for more than a metre.
Myelin sheath	Layers of insulating membrane around the axon that speed up conduction and reduce the energy each impulse costs.
Schwann cell	The glial cell that wraps around the axon to form each myelin segment in the peripheral nervous system (oligodendrocytes do this in the brain and spinal cord).
Node of Ranvier	A short gap between myelin segments, rich in sodium channels, where the impulse is regenerated so that it jumps from node to node (saltatory conduction).
Axon terminals	Branched endings that release neurotransmitter from vesicles into the synapse with the next neuron, muscle or gland.
Direction of nerve impulse	The arrow shows one-way travel: from dendrites through the soma and along the axon to the terminals.

Neuron Diagram Labelled Parts and Functions

British and Australian courses spell it "labelled"; the parts are the same. Every label sits beside the structure with a thin leader line, so the drawing stays clear when you print it in black and white.

Motor Neuron Diagram

The shape drawn here is the classic motor neuron diagram: many dendrites around a large cell body, and one long myelinated axon ending in terminals that would meet muscle fibres. Sensory and relay neurons put the cell body in other positions. In the spinal cord, the cell body of a motor neuron sits in the ventral horn, and its axon leaves through the ventral root to reach a skeletal muscle.

Neuron Synapse Diagram

This drawing stops at the axon terminals. At a synapse, each terminal releases neurotransmitter across a narrow gap, the synaptic cleft, onto receptors in the postsynaptic membrane of the next cell. Describe that scene in the generator if you need a separate synapse figure.

Why Use Our Neuron Diagram?

A diagram of a neuron is reused again and again: in revision notes, lab reports, lecture slides and exam practice. Each use needs something slightly different, such as fewer labels, another language or a color that matches your slides, so this one is built to be changed.

Edit Labels for Your Course

In your own copy, every label is real text. Rename "cell body (soma)" to match your textbook, add "oligodendrocyte" for a central nervous system version, or delete labels to make a quiz. You can also generate a new figure from a description.

Create your own figure

Use It in Slides or Print

The PNG is 2048 pixels wide, enough for a full-screen slide or an A4 handout. The SVG keeps labels as text for clean scaling. We made a matching labeled animal cell drawing in the same style.

See the animal cell diagram

How to Customize the Diagram in 3 Steps

Downloads need no account. To edit the drawing, sign in once and your copy opens in the editor.

1
Copy the diagram
Click "Customize this diagram" to put a copy of the labeled version in your account and open it.
2
Edit labels, lines and colors
Rewrite a label by double-clicking it, move or delete leader lines, or change colors with a palette.
3
Export it
Download PNG for documents, SVG for scaling, or PPTX with each label as its own object for slides.

Neuron Diagram FAQ

Animal Cell DiagramGet a labeled animal cell diagram with every organelle explained. Download it as PNG or SVG, or edit the labels and colors for your class or paper. Start free.

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