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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 14: Posters: Neurobiophysics, Theoretical Neuroscience, Sensory Transduction
BP 14.1: Poster
Monday, March 14, 2011, 17:15–20:00, P3
(contribution withdrawn) Optical properties of cells in the vertebrate retina — •Silke Agte1,2, Sabrina Matthias1, Stephan Junek3, Elke Ulbricht1, Ines Erdmann1, Detlef Schild3, Josef Käs2, and Andreas Reichenbach1 — 1Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurophysiology, Jahnallee 59, 04109 Leipzig, Germany — 2Institute of Physics, Department of Soft Matter Physics, Linnèstrasse 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany — 3Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Department of Neurophysiology and Cellular Biophysics, Humboldtallee 23, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
In vertebrate eyes, images are projected onto an inverted retina where photons must pass most of the retinal layers before they are captured by the light-sensitive cells. Scattering in the retinal layers the light passes should obstruct clear vision yet our eye displays splendid visual abilities. This contradiction can be resolved by the function of radial glial (Müller) cells as effective light-guiding fibers in the living retina. For light that hits a Müller cell endfoot, intraretinal light scatter is minimized, and the beam diameter is conserved suppressing divergence such that the photon intensity arriving at the photoreceptors is high. Thus, an optimized signal-to-noise ratio overcomes the visual obstacle of retinal layers light has to pass through and increases visual sensitivity and contrast. Moreover, by quantitative evaluation we show that the ratio between Müller cells and cone photoreceptors - responsible for acute vision - is roughly one. This suggests that high spatiotemporal resolution may be achieved by each cone receiving its part of the image via its 'individual' Müller cell-light guide.