Concept

• The brain is made up of billions of individual nerve cells (neurons).

Objective

• Students will learn about the structure of a neuron by constructing a model.

Estimated Time

• 15 minutes.

Preparation and Materials

• Pictures or photographs of neurons should be made available. Some can be found here at "Neuroscience for Kids" at: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cells.html
• Playdough or modeling clay. Provide about a golf ball-sized amount of each of 4 different colors.

Background

• Introduction: The brain is made up of about 86 billion nerve cells (also called "neurons"). A neuron has 4 basic parts: the dendrites, the cell body (also called the "soma"), the axon and the axon terminal.
  • Dendrites - Extensions from the neuron cell body that take information to the cell body. Dendrites usually branch close to the cell body.
  • Cell body (soma) - the part of the cell that contains the nucleus.
  • Axon - the extension from the neuron cell body that takes information away from the cell body. A single axon projects out of the cell body.
  • Axon terminal - end part of an axon that makes a synaptic contact with another cell.

• You will be given 4 different colors of modeling clay or playdough. Build a model of a neuron using different colored clay for the different parts of the neuron.
• Print out these pages (click on the "print" button of your browser, and place your neuron in the box below, then label and draw arrows to the dendrites, soma, axon and axon terminal or your neuron.

• A neuron has 4 major parts: the dendrites, the cell body, the axon and the axon terminal.

Extension

• Construct different types of neurons: unipolar, bipolar, multipolar, pyramidal cells, Purkinje cells, etc.
• Create a larger cell body and add organelles (for example, mitochrondria, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, etc.).
• Discuss how neurons are similar and different to cells in other parts of the body (for example, muscle cells).
• Construct neuron models with other materials like fruit or candy and then eat it.
• Visit sites on the WWW that discuss neurons.