lecture 2

Question 1

iris

Answer 1

colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil, regulating how much light enters the eye

Question 2

cornea

Answer 2

(hoornvlies) clear, outer layer of the eye that helps focus light onto the retina

Question 3

pupil

Answer 3

the black circular opening in the center of the iris that controls the amount of light entering the eye

Question 4

lens

Answer 4

transparent, flexible structure in the eye that focuses light onto the retina by changing shape.

Question 5

sclera

Answer 5

the white, tough outer layer of the eye that protects and maintains its shape.

Question 6

retina

Answer 6

the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that converts light into neural signals for the brain to process as images.

Question 7

optic nerve

Answer 7

the bundle of nerve fibers that carries visual information from the retina to the brain for processing

Question 8

accomodation

Answer 8

the process by which the lens changes shape to focus on objects at different distances.

Question 9

periphery

Answer 9

the outer edges of the visual field, where peripheral vision detects motion and shapes but with less detail than central vision

Question 10

blind spot

Answer 10

the area on the retina where the optic nerve exits the eye, lacking photoreceptors, making it unable to detect light.

Question 11

rods

Answer 11

photoreceptor cells in the retina that are responsible for vision in low light (night vision) and detecting shapes and movement, but they do not detect color.

Question 12

fovea

Answer 12

a small, central part of the retina that contains a high concentration of cone cells and is responsible for sharp, detailed central vision

Question 13

cones

Answer 13

photoreceptor cells in the retina that are responsible for color vision and sharp central vision in bright light conditions.

Question 14

spatial acuity

Answer 14

the ability to see small details clearly

Question 15

hyperpolarization

Answer 15

when a cell’s charge becomes more negative than its resting potential.

Question 16

RPE visual cycle

Answer 16

the process where the RPE cells help recycle visual pigments in the retina so they can be used again after detecting light, enabling continuous vision

Question 17

secondary visual cycle

Answer 17

helps regenerate visual pigments in the retina after they’ve been used, ensuring they’re ready for the next visual process

Question 18

opsin

Answer 18

a protein in the retina that, together with retinal, forms visual pigments to help detect light and enable vision

Question 19

chromophore

Answer 19

the light-sensitive molecule in visual pigments (like retinal) that absorbs light and initiates the visual process

Question 20

graded reduction

Answer 20

when something decreases little by little, rather than all at once, like a slow fading of a signal or response.

Question 21

transduction

Answer 21

the process of converting a stimulus (like light, sound, or touch) into an electrical signal that the brain can understand.

Question 22

horizontal cells

Answer 22

inhibitory cells in the retina that help adjust the signals from nearby light-sensitive cells to improve how we see things.

Question 23

Müller cells

Answer 23

specialized support cells in the retina that help maintain its structure, nourish retinal cells, and guide light to the photoreceptors for better vision.

Question 24

bipolar cells

Answer 24

retinal cells that connect the photoreceptors (rods and cones) to ganglion cells, transmitting visual signals from the photoreceptors to the brain.

Question 25

amacrine cells

Answer 25

retinal cells that help modulate the signals between bipolar cells and ganglion cells, playing a role in things like motion detection and contrast.

Question 26

ganglion cells

Answer 26

retinal cells that receive visual information from bipolar cells and send the signals through their axons to the brain via the optic nerve.

Question 27

inhibitory cells

Answer 27

cells that slow down or stop signals in other cells to help keep everything balanced.

Question 28

antagonistic surround

Answer 28

the area around a cell that works against the center part, helping to highlight edges and improve the clarity of what we see.

Question 29

On-center ganglion cells

Answer 29

These cells get excited and send strong signals when light hits the center of their "light area" and they don’t like when light hits the edges

Question 30

Off-center ganglion cells

Answer 30

These cells get excited and send strong signals when light hits the edges of their "light area" and they don’t like when light hits the center.

Question 31

midget ganglion cells

Answer 31

small cells in the retina that receive signals from cones and help with sharp, detailed vision and color vision in the center of your sight

Question 32

parasol ganglion cells

Answer 32

large cells in the retina that help with motion detection and peripheral vision.

Question 33

bistratified ganglion cells

Answer 33

retinal cells that have two layers of connections in the retina, helping to process color information, especially for detecting blue-yellow contrast in vision.

Question 34

receptive field

Answer 34

the area of the retina where a sensory cell (like a ganglion or bipolar cell) responds to light or stimuli

Question 35

principle of univariance

Answer 35

a photoreceptor can only measure how bright the light is, not its color.

Question 36

M (Magnocellular) pathways

Answer 36

responsible for detecting motion and where things are in your vision, especially in low light.

Question 37

P (parvocellular) pathways

Answer 37

are responsible for processing color and fine detail in your vision. They help you see what things are (like shapes and colors) and are linked to cones in the retina.