Abstract Computer models help researchers understand the peripheral nervous system. Often models are used to investigate a cell’s response to changes in the electrochemical environment. Models range from very simple axon models that do not propagate action potentials to very complex, networked populations of neurons and can broadly be divided into point models and compartmental models. In both model types, the neural membrane behaves like and is modeled as a capacitor and resistor in parallel. Most ion channels are modeled as a variable resistor. Chemical ionic gradients across the membrane are modeled as batteries. These four components—capacitors, passive and variable resistors, and batteries—form the basis of neural models ranging from the simple integrate-and-fire to the very complex multicompartmental representations of branching, myelinated axons.