Lesson plan
Midget cell
A midget cell, sometimes called a P cell or P ganglion cell, is one type of retinal ganglion cell (RGC). Midget cells originate in the ganglion cell layer of the retina, and project to the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The axons of midget cells travel through the optic nerve and optic tract, ultimately synapsing with parvocellular cells in the LGN. These cells are known as midget retinal ganglion cells due to the small sizes of their dendritic trees and cell bodies. About 80% of RGCs are midget cells. They receive inputs from relatively few rods and cones. In many cases, they are connected to midget bipolar cells, which are linked to one cone each. These neurons show roughly circular receptive fields with antagonistic center and surround; this property is known as spatial opponency and these neurons are typically divided into ON- or OFF-center, depending on whether they are excited or inhibited by photons falling on the center of their receptive fields. Most of these cells are chromatically opponent, meaning that long- and medium-wavelength visible light (commonly approximated to red and green, respectively) exert opposing effects on the center and the surround.…
Article summary
A midget cell, sometimes called a P cell or P ganglion cell, is one type of retinal ganglion cell (RGC). Midget cells originate in the ganglion cell layer of the retina, and project to the parvocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The axons of midget cells travel through the optic nerve and optic tract, ultimately synapsing with parvocellular cells in the LGN. These cells are known as midget retinal ganglion cells due to the small sizes of their dendritic trees and cell bodies. About 80% of RGCs are midget cells. They receive inputs from relatively few rods and cones. In many cases, they are connected to midget bipolar cells, which are linked to one cone each. These neurons show roughly circular receptive fields with antagonistic center and surround; this property is known as spatial opponency and these neurons are typically divided into ON- or OFF-center, depending on whether they are excited or inhibited by photons falling on the center of their receptive fields. Most of these cells are chromatically opponent, meaning that long- and medium-wavelength visible light (commonly approximated to red and green, respectively) exert opposing effects on the center and the surround.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.