File:Retina-diagram.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
rod cell
Sign in to saveAlso known as rod photoreceptor, rod, retinal rod photoreceptor cell
photoreceptor cells that can function in lower light better than cone cells.
Key facts
- Location
- Retina
- Shape
- Rod-shaped
- Function
- Low-light photoreceptor
- Neurotransmitter
- Glutamate
- Presynaptic connections
- None
- Postsynaptic connections
- Bipolar cells and horizontal cells
- Mesh
- D017948
- Neurolex id
- nlx_cell_100212
- Th
- H3.11.08.3.01030
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
23,326 papers- Supramolecular organization of rhodopsin in rod photoreceptor cell membranes.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2021
- Retinal cell types: Rod and cone photoreceptors.Handbook of clinical neurology · 2026
- MRI of rod cell compartment-specific function in disease and treatment in vivo.Progress in retinal and eye research · 2016
- Why study rod cell death in retinal degenerations and how?Documenta ophthalmologica. Advances in ophthalmology · 2003
- Rod Inputs Arrive at Horizontal Cell Somas in Mouse Retina Solely via Rod-Cone Coupling.eNeuro · 2025
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Rod cell
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Article
Rod cells are photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that can function in lower light better than the other type of visual photoreceptor, cone cells. Rods are usually found concentrated at the outer edges of the retina and are used in peripheral vision. On average, there are approximately 92 million rod cells (vs ~4.6 million cones) in the human retina. Rod cells are more sensitive than cone cells and are almost entirely responsible for night vision. However, rods have little role in color vision, which is the main reason why colors are much less apparent in dim light.
Structure