• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, September 27, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Researchers shed light on how our eyes process visual cues

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 7, 2017
in Health
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The mystery of how human eyes compute the direction of moving light has been made clearer by scientists at The University of Queensland.

Using advanced electrical recording techniques, researchers from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) discovered how nerve cells in the eye's retina were integral to the process.

Professor Stephen Williams said that dendrites – the branching processes of a neuron that conduct electrical signals toward the cell body – played a critical role in decoding images.

"The retina is not a simple camera, but actively processes visual information in a neuronal network, to compute abstractions that are relayed to the higher brain," Professor Williams said.

"Previously, dendrites of neurons were thought to be passive input areas.

"Our research has found that dendrites also have powerful processing capabilities."

Co-author Dr Simon Kalita-de Croft said dendritic processing enabled the retina to convert and refine visual cues into electrical signals.

"We now know that movement of light – say, a flying bird, or a passing car – gets converted into an electrical signal by dendritic processing in the retina," Dr Kalita-de Croft said.

"The discovery bridges the gap between our understanding of the anatomy and physiology of neuronal circuits in the retina."

Professor Williams said the ability of dendrites in the retina to process visual information depended on the release of two neurotransmitters – chemical messengers – from a single class of cell.

"These signals are integrated by the output neurons of the retina," Professor Williams said.

"Determining how the neural circuits in the retina process information can help us understand computational principles operational throughout the brain.

"Excitingly, our discovery provides a new template for how neuronal computations may be implemented in brain circuits."

###

The study, Dendro-dendritic cholinergic excitation controls dendritic spike initiation in retinal ganglion cells, has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Media Contact

Donna Lu
[email protected]
61-405-661-856
@uq_news

http://www.uq.edu.au

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15683

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Impact of Nasal Obstruction on Breathing Flow

September 27, 2025

Impulsivity’s Impact on Illicit Drug Use Outcomes

September 27, 2025

Salutogenic Approach Reduces Frailty in Pre-Frail Women

September 27, 2025

Cannabis Use Patterns in Adults with FASD

September 27, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    72 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Scientists Discover and Synthesize Active Compound in Magic Mushrooms Again

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • Tailored Gene-Editing Technology Emerges as a Promising Treatment for Fatal Pediatric Diseases

    51 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 13

About

BIOENGINEER.ORG

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Enhancing Oral Fat Sensitivity with Pure Milk Emulsions

Impact of Nasal Obstruction on Breathing Flow

Revolutionary Numerical Method for PEMFC Model Inversion

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.