retinal phototransduction and signal processing Flashcards
what structure of the eye focuses far objects?
the cornea
what structure of the eye focuses near objects?
the lens
What structure of the eye converts light energy into electrical signal?
the retina
what structure of the eye provides nourishes the cones and rods?
the choroid
through what structure of the eye does light enter?
the cornea
what structure of the eye is the site of the highest spatial acuity?
the fovea
where do the axons converge to exit the eye?
the optic disk
what causes cataracts?
aggregates of protein that form in the lens
what do cataracts do to your vision?
cause clouding of the lens ( cloudy vision) and results in a glare especially at night
faded colors
what are risk factors for cataracts?
aging, diabetes, sunlight, smoking
what is presbyopia?
inability to focus on near objects
what is hyperopia?
farsightedness
glaucoma causes?
optic nerve damage and irreversible loss of peripheral visual fields and ultimately vision loss
what are the types of glaucoma?
normal tension
open angle
closed angle
what is open angle glaucoma?
progressive ( occurring over time) caused by obstruction of drainage of the aqueous humor which puts stress on the retina
what is closed angle glaucoma?
caused by a collapsed wall leading to a closed or narrow angle between the iris and cornea. this results in an acute increase in intraocular pressure and requires immediate care/surgery
where does intracular pressure increase?
in the front of the eye
what are the risk factors for glaucoma?
elevated eye pressure, thin cornea, abnormal optic anatomy, high blood pressure
what is the treatment for glaucoma?
eye drops to decrease the aqueous drainage production or keep it from increasing, or surgery
what does the retina do?
contains neurons that absorb light and process visual information in the images and send that information to the brain.
where do photoreceptors point?
toward the back of the eye
What are the 5 types of neurons found in the retina?
photoreceptors horizontal cells bipolar cells amacrine cells ganglionic cells
describe the flow of vertical information in the retina
info flows from photoreceptors to the bipolar cells to the ganglion cells and the cells release glutamate
describe the lateral flow of information in the retina
it is mediated by horizontal cells and amacrine cells and these cells release glycine or GABA
does a rod bipolar cell or a cone bipolar cell make 1 to 1 connections with cones?
rod bipolar cells contact cones 1 to 1
does a cone bipolar cell or a rod bipolar cell make several contacts with cones?
a cone bipolar cell makes several contacts with cones
where in the retina does phototransduction occur?
in the cilium aka the outer segment
what is in the inner segment of the retina?
nucleus, mitochondria, golgi, ER etc
what are the two types of photoreceptors?
rods and cones
how does the membrane potential of photoreceptors compare to that of most other neuron membrane potentials?
it is relatively depolarized rather than hyperpolarized at the resting potential ( near -40 mv)
what is graded hyperpolarization?
the way in which photoreceptors respond to light i.e. the more they are exposed intense light the more they HYPERPOLARIZE ( thus they DON”T form action potentials
IN dark light what is the [ cGMP] and how does that effect ionic influx/efflux and membrane potential?
in the dark there is an increase in [cGMP] which leads to an influx of Ca2+ and Na+ and an efflux of K+ leading to depolarization