Unipolar cells have one primary process that give rise to several branches. One of these is the axon and the rest serve as dendritic receiving structures. Unipolar cells have no dendrites arising directly from the cell's soma. These cells occur in certain ganglia of the autonomic nervous system of vertebrates. Multipolar neurons have a single axon and one or more dendritic branches emerging from all parts of the cell body.
Multipolar cells vary in the number and length of their dendrites and the length of their axons.
The number and extent of dendritic processes depend on the number of synaptic contacts that other neurons make onto it. For instance a spinal motor cell, with a moderate dendritic tree, receives about 10,000 contacts. The much larger dendritic tree of a purkinje cell in the cerebellum, receives up to 150,000 contacts from other neurons. See the general signaling mechanism.