Which retinal cells produce action potentials during phototransduction?

In the process of phototransduction, photoreceptors (rods and cones) initially respond to light by hyperpolarizing, which means they do not generate action potentials but instead release less neurotransmitter. The signal then gets transmitted to bipolar cells, which can be either ON-center or OFF-center types. While these bipolar cells generate graded potentials, they themselves do not typically produce action potentials under normal circumstances.

Instead, it is the ganglion cells in the retina that are responsible for generating action potentials. Ganglion cells receive input from bipolar cells and process this information before transmitting signals through the optic nerve to the brain. Amacrine cells, which are involved in integrating and modulating visual signals, can also play a role in this signaling but do not generate action potentials directly related to phototransduction.

Therefore, the correct answer identifies that the ganglion cells produce action potentials, while the bipolar cells serve as intermediaries that relay signals to these ganglion cells. This understanding outlines the progression of signal transduction from phototransduction through to the generation of action potentials necessary for visual processing.