describe the effect of light in pigments inside rods, how light affects the polarization of photoreceptors,...

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describe the effect of light in pigments inside rods, how lightaffects the polarization of photoreceptors, and how that affectsthe bipolar cells and ganglionic cells

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A photoreceptor cell is a specialized type of neuroepithelial cell found in the retina that is capable of visual phototransduction The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light visible electromagnetic radiation into signals that can stimulate biological processes To be more specific photoreceptor proteins in the cell absorb photons triggering a change in the cells membrane potential There are currently three known types of photoreceptor cells in mammalian eyes rods cones and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells The two classic photoreceptor cells are rods and cones each contributing information used by the visual system to form a representation of the visual world sight The rods are narrower than the cones and distributed differently across the retina but the chemical process in each that supports phototransduction is similarA third class of mammalian photoreceptor cell was discovered during the 1990sthe intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells These cells do not contribute to sight directly but are thought to support circadian rhythms and pupillary reflex There are major functional differences between the rods and cones Rods are extremely sensitive and can be triggered by a single photonAt very low light levels visual experience is based solely on the rod signal Cones require significantly brighter light that is a larger number of photons to produce a signal In humans there are three different types of cone cell distinguished by their pattern of response to light of different wavelengths Color experience is calculated from these three distinct signals perhaps via an opponent process5 This explains why colors cannot be seen at low light levels when only the rod and not the cone photoreceptor cells are active The three types of cone cell respond roughly to See Answer

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