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Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
The Retina01:32

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
Visual System01:26

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Quantification of Optic Nerve Cross Sectional Area on MRI: A Novel Protocol using Fiji Software
08:57

Quantification of Optic Nerve Cross Sectional Area on MRI: A Novel Protocol using Fiji Software

Published on: September 4, 2021

How the optic nerve allocates space, energy capacity, and information.

János A Perge1, Kristin Koch, Robert Miller

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. jperge@gmail.com

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|June 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Astrocytes in the optic nerve (a myelinated tract) are crucial for brain energy and space budgets, using significant cellular resources. The optic nerve optimizes information transfer by using mostly thin axons for low-rate data, conserving energy and space.

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Measurement of Energy Metabolism in Explanted Retinal Tissue Using Extracellular Flux Analysis
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Measurement of Energy Metabolism in Explanted Retinal Tissue Using Extracellular Flux Analysis

Published on: January 7, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Neural computation is constrained by space and energy resources.
  • Efficient resource utilization is critical for fiber tracts like the optic nerve.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the space and energy efficiency of myelinated fiber tracts.
  • To determine the role of astrocytes and axon diameter in resource allocation within the optic nerve.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of astrocyte contribution to space and mitochondria in the optic nerve.
  • Measurement of axon diameter distribution.
  • Correlation of axon diameter with firing rates under naturalistic conditions.

Main Results:

  • Astrocytes occupy nearly 30% of the optic nerve's space and over 70% of its mitochondria.
  • Axon diameters are predominantly thin, peaking at 0.7 micrometers.
  • Mitochondrial volume increases with axon diameter squared for axons >0.7 micrometers.
  • Information rate increases proportionally with axon diameter, but with diminishing returns.

Conclusions:

  • The optic nerve conserves space and energy by utilizing a mix of thin axons for low-rate information and thicker axons for high-rate needs.
  • Thicker axons primarily support larger synaptic terminal arbors for higher synaptic transmission rates, not faster conduction velocity.