Nerve cells. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of nerve cells (neurones). Each neurone has a large cell body with several long processes extending from it, usually one thick axon and several thinner dendrites. The axon carries nerve impulses away from the neurone. Its branching ends make contacts with other neurones and with muscles or glands. The highly-branching dendrites receive information from other neurones. This complex network forms the nervous system, which relays information rapidly around the body.