Retina bipolar cell

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Retinal bipolar cell
Retina. Bipolar cells are shown in red.
SystemVisual system
LocationRetina (inner nuclear layer)
FunctionConvey gradients between photoreceptor cells to retinal ganglion cells
Presynaptic connectionsRods, cones and horizontal cells
Postsynaptic connectionsRetinal ganglion cells and amacrine cells
NeuroLex IDnifext_31
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

As a part of the retina, bipolar cells exist between photoreceptors (rod cells and cone cells) and ganglion cells. They act, directly or indirectly, to transmit signals from the photoreceptors to the ganglion cells.




Bipolar cells receive synaptic input from either rods or cones, or both rods and cones, though they are generally designated rod bipolar or cone bipolar cells. There are roughly 10 distinct forms of cone bipolar cells, however, only one rod bipolar cell, due to the rod receptor arriving later in the evolutionary history than the cone receptor.




Signal transmission[edit]

Bipolar cells effectively transfer information from rods and cones to ganglion cells. The horizontal cells and the amacrine cells complicate matters somewhat. The horizontal cells introduce lateral inhibition to the dendrites and give rise to the center-surround inhibition which is apparent in retinal receptive fields. The amacrine cells also introduce lateral inhibition to the axon terminal, serving various visual functions including efficient signal transduction with high signal-to-noise ratio.[3]


See also[edit]


  3. ^ Tanaka M, Tachibana M (15 August 2013). "Independent control of reciprocal and lateral inhibition at the axon terminal of retinal bipolar cells". J Physiol. 591 (16): 3833–51. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2013.253179. PMC 3764632. PMID 23690563.


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