Vision Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards related to the vision lecture.

Sensory Transduction

The process by which sensory neurons transform the outside world into neuronal activity.

Hair Cells

Sensory receptors in the ear that transduce sound into electrical signals.

Taste Receptors

Sensory receptors on the tongue that transduce taste into electrical signals.

Cones

Photoreceptor cells in the retina that transduce light into electrical signals for vision.

Pacinian Corpuscle

A type of sensory receptor that transduces touch into electrical signals.

Olfactory Receptor

Sensory receptors in the nose that transduce smell into electrical signals.

Free Nerve Ending

A type of sensory receptor that transduces pain into electrical signals.

Outer Hair Cells

In the auditory system, cells that amplify or attenuate sounds.

Inner Hair Cells

In the auditory system, cells that transduce vibrations into neural signals.

TRPV1

A receptor that transduces heat pain, activated by temperatures >43°C and capsaicin.

TRPM8

A receptor that transduces temperature and is activated by menthol.

PIEZO1 & PIEZO2

Proteins involved in transducing mechanical force for touch and proprioception.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The range of all types of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.

Visible Spectrum

The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye.

Wavelength

The distance between successive crests of a wave, related to the hue or color of light.

Amplitude

The height of a wave, related to the brightness of light.

Cornea

The transparent outer layer of the eye.

Iris

The colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil.

Lens

The transparent structure in the eye that focuses light onto the retina.

Retina

The light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye.

Fovea

The central focal point in the retina, where cone density is highest and visual acuity is sharpest.

Optic Nerve

The nerve that carries neural impulses from the retina to the brain.

Rods

Photoreceptor cells in the retina that are sensitive to low light levels and mediate vision in the dark.

Cones

Photoreceptor cells in the retina that are active at high light levels and mediate color vision.

Opsins

Proteins that transduce photons into electrical signals in photoreceptors.

Blind Spot

The point in the retina where the optic nerve exits, lacking photoreceptors.

Receptive Field

The location in the visual scene in which a stimulus can influence the activity of a given cell.

Rate Coding

Representing information with action potentials, where a stronger stimulus leads to more action potentials.

Color Constancy

For a given object, different illuminants present a different color spectrum to the eye, but the brain corrects for this.

Trichromatic Theory

Theory that color vision arises from the activity of three types of receptors.