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

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

6.3K
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,...
6.3K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

7.4K
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...
7.4K
Color Vision01:24

Color Vision

654
Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.
654
The Retina01:32

The Retina

69.5K
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.
69.5K
Vision01:24

Vision

55.0K
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.
55.0K
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

2.6K
Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
2.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Melanopsin-mediated image statistics from natural and human-made environments.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Spectral dataset of natural objects' reflectance from the Southern cone of South America.

Scientific data·2025
Same author

Increased brightness assimilation in rod vision.

iScience·2025
Same author

The eyes have it: Alcohol-induced eye movement impairment and perceived impairment in older adults with and without alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol, clinical & experimental research·2025
Same author

Corrigendum to "Are ipRGCs involved in human color vision? Hints from physiology, psychophysics, and natural image statistics" [Vis. Res. 217 (2024) 108378].

Vision research·2024
Same author

Are ipRGCs involved in human color vision? Hints from physiology, psychophysics, and natural image statistics.

Vision research·2024
Same journal

Multi-module collaborative optimization-driven fast speckle correlation imaging in variable environments.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
Same journal

Secrecy performance analysis of NOMA-UWOC systems over a vertically stratified WGG oceanic turbulence channel.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
Same journal

Backscattering of plane waves in a composite system containing a rough surface and anisotropic scatterers.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
Same journal

Aspherical surface construction methods based on extended Jacobi polynomials.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
Same journal

OCT sidelobe suppression method based on dual-path phase sinusoidal modulation and minimum value fusion.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
Same journal

Optical design concepts using wavelength-selective diffractive optics to enable miniaturized multimodal endoscopic imaging across separated spectral ranges.

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Visualizing Visual Adaptation
04:43

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

9.1K

Is melanopsin activation affecting large field color-matching functions?

Pablo A Barrionuevo, Clemente Paz Filgueira, Dingcai Cao

    Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, Image Science, and Vision
    |October 10, 2022
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Melanopsin cells, not rod intrusion, influence color vision differences between central and peripheral sight. This suggests melanopsin plays a key role in large-field color perception.

    More Related Videos

    Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins
    07:04

    Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins

    Published on: February 7, 2020

    7.5K
    Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System
    09:16

    Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System

    Published on: May 6, 2015

    9.3K

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Aug 26, 2025

    Visualizing Visual Adaptation
    04:43

    Visualizing Visual Adaptation

    Published on: April 24, 2017

    9.1K
    Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins
    07:04

    Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins

    Published on: February 7, 2020

    7.5K
    Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System
    09:16

    Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System

    Published on: May 6, 2015

    9.3K

    Area of Science:

    • Vision science
    • Photoreceptor physiology
    • Color perception

    Background:

    • Traditional color theory relies on cone cell activation.
    • Melanopsin-expressing cells in the retina are increasingly recognized for their role in vision.
    • Their influence on brightness and color perception requires further investigation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate whether melanopsin activation or rod intrusion explains discrepancies in color matches between foveal and peripheral/large-field vision.
    • To differentiate the roles of rod and melanopsin pathways in human color vision.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized photopic color matching experiments with young observers.
    • Compared color matches obtained from foveal (central) and extrafoveal (peripheral) retinal areas.
    • Performed statistical analyses on established color-matching functions.

    Main Results:

    • Results indicated that rod intrusion does not account for observed differences between extrafoveal and foveal color matches.
    • Statistical analysis of color-matching functions suggests a significant role for melanopsin activation.
    • Melanopsin's contribution appears particularly relevant for large-field short-wavelength (S) fundamentals.

    Conclusions:

    • Rod intrusion is not the cause of altered color perception in peripheral vision.
    • Melanopsin activation is a likely factor contributing to differences in color matches observed in peripheral and large-field viewing conditions.
    • These findings highlight the importance of melanopsin in modulating human color vision beyond the fovea.