In the

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

of the

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

, the ganglion cell layer (ganglionic layer) is a layer of the

retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...

that consists of

retinal ganglion cell A retinal ganglion cell (RGC) is a type of neuron located near the inner surface (the ganglion cell layer) of the retina of the eye. It receives visual information from photoreceptor cell, photoreceptors via two intermediate neuron types: Bipolar ...

s and displaced

amacrine cell In the anatomy of the eye, amacrine cells are interneurons in the retina. They are named , because of their short neuronal processes. Amacrine cells are inhibitory neurons which project their dendritic arbors onto the inner plexiform layer ...

s. The cells are somewhat

flask Flask may refer to: Container * Hip flask, a small container used to carry liquid * Laboratory flask, laboratory glassware for holding larger volumes than simple test tubes ** Erlenmeyer flask, a common laboratory flask with a flat bottom, a c ...

-shaped; the rounded internal surface of each resting on the stratum opticum, and sending off an

axon An axon (from Greek ἄξων ''áxōn'', axis) or nerve fiber (or nerve fibre: see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences) is a long, slender cellular extensions, projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, ...

which is prolonged into it. From the opposite end numerous dendrites extend into the

inner plexiform layer The inner plexiform layer is an area of the retina that is made up of a dense reticulum of fibrils formed by interlaced dendrites A dendrite (from Greek δένδρον ''déndron'', "tree") or dendron is a branched cytoplasmic process that ex ...

, where they branch and form flattened arborizations at different levels. The ganglion cells vary much in size, and the

dendrites A dendrite (from Greek δένδρον ''déndron'', "tree") or dendron is a branched cytoplasmic process that extends from a nerve cell that propagates the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma ...

of the smaller ones as a rule arborize in the inner plexiform layer as soon as they enter it; while those of the larger cells ramify close to the

inner nuclear layer In the anatomy of the eye, the inner nuclear layer or layer of inner granules, of the retina, is made up of a number of closely packed cells, of which there are three varieties: bipolar cells, horizontal cells, and amacrine cells. Bipolar cell ...

References

External links

* Human eye anatomy {{eye-stub

See also

References

External links