Photons to energize rhodopsin & trigger a nerve impulse

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SUMMARY

One photon is sufficient to isomerize the retinal in a rhodopsin molecule, activating it and enabling individual rod cells to respond to light. However, while rod cells can detect single photons, downstream neurons in the visual processing pathway may require multiple signals from rod cells to trigger a nerve impulse. This highlights the complexity of visual signal processing in the neural system of the eyes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of rhodopsin and its role in phototransduction
  • Knowledge of retinal isomerization processes
  • Familiarity with the structure and function of rod cells
  • Basic principles of neural signal processing in the visual system
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the mechanism of rhodopsin activation and its role in vision
  • Explore the concept of phototransduction in detail
  • Study the neural pathways involved in visual signal processing
  • Investigate the differences in response thresholds between rod and cone cells
USEFUL FOR

Biologists, neuroscientists, and anyone interested in the mechanisms of vision and phototransduction processes.

rw11
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I am wondering how many photons must be captured by a rhodopsin molecule to energize it, and also to trigger a nerve impulse to the brain or to deeper in the eyes neural system?
 
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It takes only one photon to isomerize the retinal in rhodopsin, and activate the rhodopsin molecule. Individual rod cells are capable of responding to an individual photon (http://journals.aps.org/rmp/abstract/10.1103/RevModPhys.70.1027), but as Pythagorean's link points out, some of the downstream neurons responsible for processing visual simuli may not be triggered by the signal from a single rod cell.
 

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