Final answer:
Ganglion cells in the retina are influenced by light-induced changes in the activity of photoreceptors, with amacrine and horizontal cells modulating the response. This intricate neural circuitry allows the visual system to process changes in light to generate visual perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ganglion cells can be excited or inhibited by photoreceptors, and interneurons such as amacrine and horizontal cells can modify ganglion cell activity in response to bipolar cells. In the retina, photoreceptors like rods and cones continuously undergo tonic activity, which means that they are slightly active even in the dark. They inhibit bipolar cells until they are hyperpolarized by light, which leaves the bipolar cells free to activate the ganglion cells, leading to the sending of action potentials through the optic nerve.
Horizontal cells are responsible for creating lateral inhibition, which sharpens edges and enhances contrast in visual images. Amacrine cells distribute information from bipolar cells to many ganglion cells, contributing to more complex processing before the visual signal is transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve.
Overall, the visual system is reliant on changes in retinal activity to encode visual signals. The neural circuitry of the retina is intricate, with each cell type playing a specific role in transforming light into the electrical signals that the brain interprets as visual images.