MELANOPSIN, PHOTOSENSITIVE RETINAL GANGLION CELLS AND NON-IMAGE FORMING RESPONSES TO LIGHT

摘要

The recent discovery of inner retinal photoreceptors in mammals has required a reassessment of models of retinal function. Here, we provide a brief overview of this newly discovered system, playing particular attention to recent findings relating to the anatomy and molecular biology of these new photoreceptors, their function and spectral sensitivity. We finish with some tentative conclusions regarding their interaction with rod/cone pathways.