PSYC2274 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Ganglion Cell, Outer Plexiform Layer, Visual Angle
Document Summary
Critical cells of the retina which transduce light energy into neural energy; carpet retina all around the back of the eyeball. Rods: specialized for night vision function best under low light levels. Can respond to even the smallest change in addition of light or difference between light vs. darkness. Do not contribute to color vision that is why nighttime is devoid of color for you. All of the color wavelengths present during day are all still there, but you are just using neurons in your retina that simply don"t have the capacity to contribute to color vision. Cones: specialized for daylight vision (photopic vision), fine visual acuity (make out specific detail), and color. In darkness, rods/cones are depolarized due to open na+ channels (counterintuitive, but in now way wrong ). In light, photons strike special proteins called opsins which trigger biochemical cascades that close na+ channels: cell hyperpolarizes.
