What is the process by which rod and cone cells transform light energy into nerve impulses?

The process by which rod and cone cells transform light energy into nerve impulses is known as phototransduction. This is a biochemical process that begins when photons of light strike the photopigments in the photoreceptor cells of the retina, leading to a series of chemical reactions. These reactions change the membrane potential of the photoreceptors, ultimately generating nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.

Phototransduction specifically involves the conversion of light into a form that the nervous system can understand, whereas the term “photoreceptor transduction” is not standard nomenclature in the field. Chemical signaling and electrical signaling refer to broader categories of how cells communicate, but they do not specifically address the fundamental process that occurs in rod and cone cells related to the initial conversion of light energy. Hence, the accurate term for the transformation of light into electrical signals in the context of vision is phototransduction.