Mechanisms of Ultraviolet Polarization Vision in Fishes

Abstract

Our understanding of polarization vision in vertebrates, especially in teleost fishes, has grown significantly over recent decades. Work in my laboratory has led to the development of a biophysical model indicating that the spatial arrangement of photoreceptors or geometry of the cone mosaic provides the basis for ultraviolet polarization sensitivity. This biophysical mechanism appears to be based on the selective reflection of axial polarized light by the partitioning membrane, formed along the contact zone between the members of the double cones, onto neighboring UV-sensitive cones. In this review, I discuss the historical development of this problem and present some interesting insights aimed at future work on the neuronal coding of e-vector.