Nerve cells passing a message

Open to everyone until Tuesday, September 29

To keep it, print it while it is open.

Nerve cells are long, branching cells that carry messages around the body. A message travels as a tiny electrical pulse along a branch, and at the narrow gap to the next cell it is handed over by chemical signals.

In the picture

The cell body of the nerve cell: the rounded centre that keeps the cell alive and starts the message.
The long branch of the nerve cell: the electrical pulse runs along it toward the far end.
The small sacs at the branch tip: each one holds chemical signal molecules ready to be released.
The narrow gap between the two nerve cells: the chemical signal crosses this space.
The receiving branches of the next nerve cell: they pick up the signal and the message carries on.

Examples

Touching a hot pan: the message races from your hand to your spinal cord in a fraction of a second.
Picturing a friend’s face: millions of nerve cells send signals along their branches to build that image.

Key takeaways

A nerve cell carries a message as a tiny electrical pulse along its branch.
Where two nerve cells meet there is a narrow gap, and the message crosses it as a chemical signal.