Nerve cell (neurone), coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). A neurone has a large cell body. Extending out from the cell body are long, sometimes multi-branched processes called dendrites. The role of the dendrite is to receive messages or signals from other cells. Also stretching out from the cell body is the axon which is thicker than the dendrites. The axon carries messages or nerve impulses away from the cell body to the next cell. Each neurone can connect to many other cells either chemically or electrically. This complex network of multiple neurones and their connections with one another forms the nervous system. Magnification: x3000 when printed at 10cm wide