Rare retinal cells explain complex color perception

In the intricate world of human vision, color perception remains one of the most fascinating puzzles. Experts at the University of Rochester have recently made a significant breakthrough in this area, which might help explain some longstanding mysteries.

The study explores the potential role of rare retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in understanding how our eyes perceive different colors and interpret the world. This offers new insights into this complex process.

Eye cells and color perception

The human eye uses three types of cone photoreceptors, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light: short, medium, or long. These cones transmit signals through retinal ganglion cells to the central nervous system, forming the basis of our color vision.

There are inconsistencies between how our eyes detect colors and how we perceive them. This discrepancy suggests that our understanding of color vision might be incomplete. To address this, researchers have proposed the existence of non-cardinal RGCs.

These cells differ from the traditional pathways of color detection. David Williams, the William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics, first introduced this theory in the 1980s.

Key cells in the eye and color vision

Sara Patterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Visual Science, recently led a study that successfully identified these elusive non-cardinal RGCs in the fovea.

This significant discovery could be crucial for understanding complex color perception. It sheds light on how humans perceive intricate blends of colors such as red, green, blue, and yellow.

The non-cardinal RGCs diverge from traditional color detection pathways, suggesting a more complex system at play within our vision.

Patterson’s findings open up potential avenues for exploring how our eye cells translate the physical world into the vivid colors we experience, deepening our grasp of visual processing.

Patterson shared her excitement about the findings. She stated: “We don’t really know anything for certain yet about these cells other than that they exist. There’s so much more that we have to learn about how their response properties operate, but they’re a compelling option as a missing link in how our retina processes color.”

Adaptive optics

Adaptive optics, a technology initially developed for astronomy to reduce image blur in telescopes, enabled the breakthrough.

Subsequently, this technology was adapted in the 1990s by Williams and his colleagues to study the human eye. It involves a deformable mirror that corrects light distortion. This allows researchers to bypass the eye’s natural aberrations and capture clear images of individual photoreceptor cells.

“The optics of the eye’s lens are imperfect and really reduce the amount of resolution you can get with an ophthalmoscope,” explained Patterson. “Adaptive optics detects and corrects for these aberrations and gives us a crystal-clear look into the eye. This gives us unprecedented access to the retinal ganglion cells, which are the sole source of visual information to the brain.”

Vision loss treatments

This refined view not only deepens our understanding of how the retina functions but could also pave the way for advanced treatments for vision loss.

Patterson elaborated on the broader implications of their research: “Humans have more than 20 ganglion cells and our models of human vision are only based on three. There’s so much going on in the retina that we don’t know about.”

This is one of the rare areas where engineering has totally outpaced visual basic science. People are out there with retinal prosthetics in their eyes right now, but if we knew what all those cells do, we could actually have retinal prosthetics drive ganglion cells in accordance with their actual functional roles.

The next frontier in visual science

The research represents the beginning of what promises to be an exciting journey into the depths of visual science.

Supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Research to Prevent Blindness, the experts will continue their work. The researchers plan to further explore the newly discovered eye cells and their roles in our color perception.

As this research unfolds, it has the potential to revolutionize treatments for those with impaired vision, truly showcasing the power of merging advanced technology with biological science.

The study is published in the journal JNeurosci.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–