We’re getting closer by the day to our summer release at Complete Anatomy HQ, with everything in the final stages of testing. In the meantime, get an exclusive look at the latest addition to our Cell Biology family – The Photoreceptors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you know that there are two types of light-sensitive photoreceptors in the\u00a0retina??These\u00a0cells are known as\u00a0the rods and cones.\u00a0At night, when light levels are low, the rods are the main photoreceptors\u00a0?.\u00a0 This\u00a0type of vision\u00a0is referred to as\u00a0scotopic vision\u00a0<\/em>and has high sensitivity,\u00a0but a lack of color vision. On the other hand, the cones are the primary photoreceptors used in the daytime when natural light levels are high?. This is called\u00a0photopic vision\u00a0<\/em>and provides\u00a0color vision, while\u00a0the\u00a0overall clarity of vision is high. Mesopic vision occurs when both rods and cones are used and is common after sunset or before sunrise.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite their different functions, rods and cones have several structural similarities. They both have an outer segment composed of membranous disks which contain photopigment. Photopigments undergo structural change in response to light. They also feature an inner segment that houses the cell nucleus and gives rise to synaptic terminals that connect to the bipolar or horizontal cells discussed in last week\u2019s snippet ?. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But how do photoreceptors convert light to an electrical signal?\u00a0To understand this process, it helps to think of phototransduction as\u00a0a 3-person relay race\u00a0?. When a photon of light contacts a visual pigment molecule it is like the starting gun\u00a0?.\u00a0A series of proteins are activated that lead to hyperpolarization of the photoreceptor, the first sprinter. When the photoreceptors become hyperpolarized, the amount of neurotransmitter released by the photoreceptors is decreased. The bipolar cells respond with a change in their membrane potential. Think of them as the middle runner,\u00a0transmitting the signal from photoreceptors to ganglion cells\u00a0?. The ganglion cells are the only cells in the retina with axons that leave the eye\u00a0and\u00a0they\u00a0run the final leg of the race\u00a0?.\u00a0These electrical signals travel through the optic nerve to\u00a0the\u00a0occipital, parietal and temporal lobes\u00a0of the brain,\u00a0and eventually get processed in the brain. But that\u2019s a for another snippet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We’re working round the clock to deliver our biggest update of the year, and we’re very nearly there. Be sure to opt-in for New Technology Previews in your email preference<\/a>, and be the first to find out when our summer release lands on the app stores.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We’re getting closer by the day to our summer release at Complete Anatomy HQ, with everything in the final stages of testing. In the meantime, get an exclusive look at the latest addition to our Cell Biology family – The Photoreceptors.Leer art\u00edculo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[317],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8887"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8888,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8887\/revisions\/8888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpsite.nonprod.completeanatomy.cn\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}