On bipolar cells: following in the footsteps of phototransduction.

摘要

The electrical signals resulting from phototransduction are decomposed by bipolar cells and then encoded into spike trains by ganglion cells. The signal decomposition by bipolar cells includes formation of ON and OFF pathways and separation of tonic and phasic signals. The decomposition is accomplished by post-synaptic receptors in the ON and OFF bipolar cells. This chapter focuses on these phenomena in ON bipolar cells and the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in these processes.