chapter 7: vision – from eye to brain Flashcards
retina
the receptive surface inside the eye that contains photoreceptors and other neurons
transduction
the conversion of one form of energy to another, as converting light into neuronal activity
cornea
the transparent outer layer of the eye, whose curvature is fixed; bends light rays and is primarily responsible for forming the image on the retina
refraction
the bending of light rays by a change in the density of a medium, such as the cornea and the lens of the eyes
lens
a structure in the eye that helps focus an image on the retina
ciliary muscle
one of the muscles that control the shape of the lens inside the eye, focusing an image on the retina
accommodation
the process by which the ciliary muscles adjust the lens to focus a sharp image on the retina
myopia
nearsightedness; the inability to focus the retinal image of objects that are far away
extraocular muscle
one of the muscles attached to the eyeball that control its position and movements
photoreceptor
a neural cell in the retina that responds to light
rod
a photoreceptor cell in the retina that is most active at low levels of light
cone
any of several classes of photoreceptor cells in the retina that are responsible for color vision
bipolar cell
an interneuron in the retina that receives information from rods and cones and passes the information to retinal ganglion cells
ganglion cell
any of a class of cells in the retina whose axons form the optic nerve
optic nerve
cranial nerve II; the collection of ganglion cell axons that extend from the retina to the brain
horizontal cell
a specialized retinal cell that contacts both receptor cells and bipolar cells
amacrine cell
a specialized retinal cell that contacts both bipolar cells and ganglion cells, and is especially significant in inhibitory interactions within the retina
scotopic system
a system in the retina that operates at low levels of light and involves the rods
convergence
the phenomenon of neural connections in which many cells send signals to a single cell
photopic system
a system in the retina that operates at high levels of light, shows sensitivity to color, and involves the cones
rhodopsin
the photopigment in rods that respond to light
pupil
the opening, formed by the iris, that allows light to enter the eye
iris
the circular structure of the eye that provides an opening to form the pupil
range fractionation
the means by which sensory systems cover a wide range of intensity values, as each sensory receptor cell specializes in just one part of the overall range off intensities