Retinal Histology Flashcards
What is the innermost tunic
Retina
What happens to light at the retina
Light energy is transformed into a neural signal (phototransuction)
Where is the phototransduction signal modified
Within the retina
What part of the visual pathway is in the retina
Contains the first three cells of the pathway
Photoreceptors (1st)
Bipolar (2nd)
Ganglion (3rd)
What are the 9 inner layers of retina
Sensory or neural retina
What is the outermost retinal layer
RPE
Are all regions of the retina the same
No
What is in the outer retinal layers
Photoreceptor layer
External limiting membrane
Outer nuclear layer
Outer plexiform layer
What do photoreceptors span
The outer retina
What is contained in the photoreceptor layer
Rod outer segment
Rod inner segment
Cone outer segment
Cone inner segment
What is in the outer nuclear layer
Row of cone nuclei
Multiple rows or rod nuclei
What is in the outer plexiform layer
Contains rod spherules and cone pedicles
Role of photoreceptor
Absorb light photons and convert them into an electrochemical event though the process of phototransduction.
What are the two kinds of photoreceptors
Rods and cones
What part of the rod is adjacent to the RPE
Outer segment
What is the bridge between the outer segment and the inner segment of the rod
Cilium
What part of the rod photoreceptor goes through the external limiting membrane
Outer fiber
What is contained in the outer segment of the rods
Plasma membrane with discs containing rhodopsin
What is contained in the inner segment of the rod photoreceptor
Mitochondria and RER and Golgi
Photopigment of the rod
Rhodopsin
Where is rhodopsin located
In the membrane of the discs and to a lesser extent in the cell membrane around the cell body
What is rhodopsin composed of
Protein part, opsin, and chromosphere 11-cigs retinal (vit A derivative)
What is the peak absorption of light in rhodopsin
500nm (blue-green light), allows black and white
How are the photoreceptors and the RPE situated together
Apex to apex
When are rod outer segment discs shed?
In the early morning
How do the discs of the rods get engulfed
The engulfed discs become phagocytes in the RPE and are broken down by lysis
Or goes to drusen in the outer membrane
What is the turnover of the entire rod outer segment
About 2 weeks
What causes retinitis pigmentosa
Over 100 mutations in the rhodopsin gene have been IDed that can lead to inheritance of the rod photoreceptor dystrophy
What kind of disorder is retinitis pigmentosa
A progressive degeneration of rod photoreceptors
When does retinitis pigmentosa manifest
In the second to third decade of life
Where does retinitis pigmentosa being
In the mid peripheral retina leaving only a small island of surviving cone photoreceptors in the macula
What is the chief complaint of someone with retinitis pigmentosa
Difficulty with night vision, especially driving.
Patients with this complaint already have significant loss of rod photoreceptors and retinal function
Is there inflammation involved in retinitis pigmentosa
No
What kind of vision does someone with retinitis pigmentosa have
Tunnel vision
What is a characteristic feature of the retina in retinitis pigmentosa
Bone spicules
What happens in RP
Lows down pigment around BV and blocks them. BV supporting inner retina causes pallor in ONH
Serves as a bridge between the rod outer and inner segment
Connecting cilium
What is the arrangement of the connecting cilium
9+0 arrangement of doublets of microtubules
It’s missing the central pair of microtubules usually present in the motile cilia
What is the purpose of the inner segment in the photoreceptors
Powerhouse and metabolic machinery
What are the two segments of the inner segment
Ellipsoid
Myoid
What is the ellipsoid region of the inner segment
Close to the rod outer segment and contains mitochondria
What is contained in the myoid region of the inner segment of the photoreceptor
Closer to the cell body of the rod
-contained the metabolic machinery (RER, Golgi) for synthesizing protein for new discs
Extends from the inner segment of the photoreceptor to the cell body
Outer fiber
Length of outer fiber of photoreceptors
- varies in length based on position of the cell body within the outer nuclear layer
- more inward located rod cell bodies have a longer outer fiber
Where are the cones situated as the outside row
Outside the fovea
The axon of the rod photoreceptor, contains microtubules and extends from the cell body to the pear shaped spherule in the OPL.
Inner fiber
Synaptic terminal of rod
Spherule
Which is closer to the ONL, cone pedicles or rod spherules
Rod spherules
What is contained in the rod spherule
Mitochondria, synaptic vesicles, and microtubules
What is the triad of the rod spherules
Processes from horizontal cells and dendrites from rod bipolar cells invaginate the spherules forming a triad.
How many triads are in the rod spherules
1
What does the rod spherule release
Glutamate
What is the triad
To horizontal cells plus a rod bipolar cell on the rod spherules
How many rods are there
92 to 120 mill
What do rods mediate
Vision in dimly lit (scotopic) environments
Vision produced by rods
Consists of varying shades of black and white
Photopigment of the rods
All contain the same photopigment, rhodopsin
Rod photoreceptor density peaks where
18 degrees from the center of hte fovea and forms a ring around the fovea
Where are there no rods
Fovea
Sensory structure of the cone photoreceptor responsible for capturing photons of light
Outer segment
Shape of the outer segment of the cone photoreceptor
Cone like
Appearence of the outer segment of the cone photoreceptors in the fovea
Appear more rod like due to the dense packing of cone photoreceptors
What is the difference between the discs in the cone outer segment and rod outer segment
In the cone outer segments they are actually invaginations of the plasma membrane, which means they are discs in contact with the extracellular environment
What are the cone opsins
- S cones: blue wavelength 488nm
- M cones: green wavelength 531nm
- L cones: red wavelength 588nm
What opsin do most cones contain
Green cones (M cones)