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What is the neurotransmitter in rods, and perhaps in cones?

User JohnTube
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Final answer:

While not directly stated, light-induced changes in rhodopsin contained in rods and cones result in hyperpolarization, which affects neurotransmitter release to bipolar cells, aiding in vision signal processing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The neurotransmitter in rods and cones in the retina is not specified in the information provided, but the process of phototransduction is crucial for their function. Both rods and cones contain the photopigment rhodopsin, which consists of opsin and retinal.

Light exposure causes retinal to change from a bent (cis) form to a linear (trans) isomer, this activates rhodopsin and initiates a cascade resulting in the hyperpolarization of the photoreceptor cells. When hyperpolarized, photoreceptor cells alter the release of neurotransmitter onto bipolar cells, which is part of the process that ultimately leads to visual signal transduction to the brain.

User Michael Shnitzer
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