Anatomically speaking, each of the 5 magnet reliefs shows a section of the different segments of the nerve cell. Notice here that it varies from relief to relief, whether it is the central nervous system or the peripheral nervous system that is shown.
In the following, a description of each of the 5 segments is given:
1. Shows the cell body of the nerve cell with associated organelles. The cytoplasm is made transparent so that, among other things, the cell nucleus (nucleus) and the mitochondria can be seen through. Furthermore, it can be seen how nerve terminals (in orange) from surrounding nerve cells synapse along the edge of the cell body.
2. Shows how the nerve cell's axon, in the central nervous system, is surrounded by a myelin sheath, which here is formed by astrocytes (green cell).
3. Shows how the nerve cell's axon, in the peripheral nervous system, is surrounded by a myelin sheath, which here is formed by Schwann cells.
4. Shows the motor end plate, which is the area on a skeletal muscle cell where the nerve cell's axon terminal synapses. Here is the neuromuscular junction, where communication between the two cells takes place.
5. Shows a synapse with a synaptic cleft. In the axon terminal you can see the synaptic vesicles, which contain neurotransmitter substances. In addition, 5 smaller images are shown which show how the design of the synapse can vary.
On the left in segments 2 and 3, it is illustrated how a single astrocyte in the central nervous system forms several myelin sheaths, while each Schwann cell in the peripheral nervous system forms a single myelin sheath.
