Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Contribution of low-level motion to position shifts.

Journal of vision·2024
Same author

Nonlinear cortical encoding of color predicts enhanced McCollough effects in anomalous trichromats.

Vision research·2022
Same author

The channel for detecting contrast modulation also responds to density modulation (or vice versa).

Vision research·2021
Same author

Color discrimination in anomalous trichromacy: Experiment and theory.

Vision research·2021
Same author

Color Compensation in Anomalous Trichromats Assessed with fMRI.

Current biology : CB·2020
Same author

Are hue and saturation carried in different neural channels?

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2018
Same journal

Analysis of human visual experience data.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Pyramid-based Bayesian modeling for high-resolution behavioral analysis.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Sensation without perception: The white whale effect and perceptual blindness in autonomous vehicles.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Gaze behavior during closed-captioned movie viewing adapts to absent audio through more frequent switching between text and scene.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

In pursuit of saccade awareness: Limited volitional control and minimal conscious access to catch-up saccades during smooth pursuit eye movements.

Journal of vision·2026
Same journal

Dissociable effects of element-lifetime and stimulus-duration on local and global motion processing: An equivalent noise study.

Journal of vision·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes
06:25

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Published on: February 23, 2024

Mesopic luminance assessed with minimum motion photometry.

Sabine Raphael1, Donald I A MacLeod

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. Sabine.Raphael@nf.mpg.de

Journal of Vision
|August 27, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals how rod and cone cells contribute to vision at different light levels and across the visual field. Cone vision becomes dominant at higher light intensities, with this shift varying by retinal location.

More Related Videos

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice
09:28

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice

Published on: June 23, 2023

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
07:45

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition

Published on: July 21, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes
06:25

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

Published on: February 23, 2024

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice
09:28

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice

Published on: June 23, 2023

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
07:45

Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition

Published on: July 21, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Visual Neuroscience
  • Photoreceptor Physiology

Background:

  • Understanding the roles of rods and cones in human vision is crucial for explaining visual perception across varying light conditions.
  • The transition from rod-dominated scotopic vision to cone-dominated photopic vision, known as the mesopic range, is complex and not fully understood.
  • Previous research has established the general sensitivity differences between rods and cones, but their relative contributions to luminance perception across different light levels and retinal locations require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the relative contribution of rods and cones to luminance perception.
  • To investigate how this contribution changes with light adaptation levels (scotopic, mesopic, photopic) and retinal eccentricity.
  • To model the transition from rod to cone vision as a function of light intensity, eccentricity, and spatial frequency.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized minimum motion photometry with annular stimuli to isolate the luminance channel.
  • Measured luminance nulls between differently colored stimuli to determine the weighted sum of rod and cone excitations.
  • Analyzed the data across a range of photopic, mesopic, and scotopic adaptation levels and at various retinal eccentricities (2° to 18°).

Main Results:

  • The relative contribution of cones to luminance perception increases with light intensity, becoming dominant at photopic levels.
  • The transition from rod to cone vision is not uniform across the visual field; peripheral locations require higher light levels for strong cone participation.
  • The relative cone contribution follows a sigmoid function of intensity, with parameters dependent on stimulus eccentricity and spatial frequency.
  • The meso-mesopic luminance, where rod and cone contributions are balanced, increases with eccentricity.
  • The slope of the log-log threshold-versus-intensity (TVI) curve for rod vision, which influences the mesopic range width, shows a slight increase with eccentricity.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a quantitative model for the interplay between rod and cone contributions to luminance perception.
  • Visual field eccentricity significantly influences the light levels at which cone vision becomes dominant.
  • These findings have implications for understanding visual adaptation, color vision, and the design of visual displays and lighting systems.