Final answer:
Neurons known as feature detectors analyze visual input such as edges and motion. The retina contains rods and cones as photoreceptors, with rods handling low light vision and cones managing color and bright light vision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The neurons that analyze visual input and respond to specific features, such as edges, motion, and brightness, are known as feature detectors. These cells are an integral part of signal processing in the visual system. When light enters the eye, it is sensed by two major types of photoreceptors in the retina: rods and cones. Rods are responsible for peripheral and nighttime vision, detecting dim light without providing color information. Cones, on the other hand, respond to bright light and are crucial for daytime and color vision. After photoreceptors detect light, they change their membrane potential, affecting neurotransmitter release to bipolar cells, which in turn connect to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). These RGCs generate action potentials that eventually travel through the optic nerve to the brain, transmitting visual information for further processing.