Final answer:
Light causes hyperpolarization in photoreceptors, leading to a decrease in neurotransmitter release, implying the correct answer is A) Neurotransmitter release.
Step-by-step explanation:
Light causes a hyperpolarizing receptor potential in photoreceptors, which decreases neurotransmitter release. In darkness, photoreceptors are depolarized and release the neurotransmitter glutamate, but when light strikes rhodopsin, it activates the G-protein transducin, which then activates phosphodiesterase. Phosphodiesterase converts cGMP to GMP, resulting in the closing of sodium channels, causing the membrane to become hyperpolarized.
Hyperpolarization of the membrane leads to a decrease in neurotransmitter release to the bipolar cell. This is a key part of the visual transduction process in the retina, where photoreceptors, like rods and cones, undergo changes in their membrane potential in response to light, influencing their interaction with other cells in the retina.