12-10-2026
ADA MED SUPPLY LIMITED
Article tag: BMN/N012 motor neuron model neuron cell body model nerve fibre teaching model Nissl body anatomy mod
Short answer: The BMN/N012 motor neuron model is a two-part teaching model. One part is the neuron cell body; the other is an enlarged section of nerve fibre as it would appear at electron-microscope scale. Together they show the axon, dendrites, Nissl bodies, neurofilaments, myelin lamellae, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier and microtubules — the structures that a flat diagram usually compresses into a single unreadable line.
Key takeaways
| Model part | Structures represented |
|---|---|
| Neuron cell body | Cell body (soma), dendrites, axon hillock, Nissl bodies |
| Enlarged nerve-fibre section | Axon, myelin lamellae, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier, neurofilaments, microtubules |
The pedagogical value is in the split. Students regularly learn the neuron twice and connect the two lessons badly: once as a cell with dendrites and an axon, and once as a labelled cross-section with myelin and ion channels. A model that presents both, side by side and at deliberately different magnifications, makes the relationship explicit — the Schwann cell in the enlarged section is the same structure that wraps the axon leaving the soma on the other part.
The motor neuron is not an abstract teaching object. Its degeneration is the defining pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and related motor neuron diseases, and the global burden of those conditions is now well quantified. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 142 studies (screened from 29,110 records) and estimated a global pooled incidence of 1.65 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 1.43–1.91), a prevalence of 5.05 per 100,000 (95% CI 4.26–5.99) and a mortality of 1.26 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 0.94–1.69). The burden rises steeply with age, peaking at 70–79 years, and is higher in men than in women [1].
Those numbers change how a teacher introduces the neuron. When students know that motor neuron loss is the mechanism behind a progressive, fatal disease, the structures on the model stop being vocabulary items and become the parts that fail. A model that shows the soma, the axon and the myelin sheath together is the physical version of that argument.
There is also educational evidence for using a physical object at all. In a randomised study of first-year medical students, those who handled 3D physical models scored significantly higher on questions that required three-dimensional spatial reasoning than a control group that studied the same material in 2D — the model group's advantage appeared specifically on 3D questions (P = 0.02), and 84% of students asked for the activity to be repeated in future sessions [2].
Q1. What is the BMN/N012 used for?
It is a two-part motor neuron teaching model used in biology, physiology and introductory neuroscience courses to show the neuron cell body and the ultrastructure of the nerve fibre.
Q2. How many parts does it have?
Two: the neuron cell body and an enlarged section of nerve fibre.
Q3. Which structures are shown?
The axon, dendrites, Nissl bodies, neurofilaments, myelin lamellae, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier and microtubules.
Q4. What is the price?
The product page lists US $47.14 and states that the model is ISO and CE certified. Contact the sales team for bulk pricing.
Q5. Is it suitable for secondary-school biology as well as university courses?
Yes. The two-scale split makes it useful for introducing the neuron at secondary level, and the ultrastructure detail supports undergraduate cell biology and physiology.
Q6. How do I request a quotation or the product PDF?
Email adacpr@adaanatomy.com with the model (BMN/N012), the quantity and your destination. The model description PDF is listed as pending on the product page — request the current datasheet with your enquiry.
Email adacpr@adaanatomy.com for the BMN/N012 price list and shipping details. The biology series also includes cell division, animal cell and microbiology models, so a full cell-biology bench can be quoted in one order.
