MOLECULAR AND PHYSICAL PROCESSES GOVERNING VISION AND HEARING RECEPTOR ACTIVITY
Abstract
This research paper investigates the molecular and physical processes governing vision and hearing receptor activity, with a focus on the photochemical, bioelectrical, and mechanotransductive mechanisms that underpin human sensory perception. The study was carried out at the Department of Biophysics, Tashkent State Medical University, involving ten participating students under academic supervision. During the experimental phase, the functional responses of visual and auditory receptors were measured and analyzed under controlled light and acoustic stimuli.
In the visual system, sensory detection is mediated through phototransduction, a molecular cascade initiated when photons are absorbed by retinal photoreceptors (rods and cones). Photon absorption triggers quantum-induced isomerization of rhodopsin, activating intracellular signaling pathways that convert optical energy into graded electrical potentials. These receptor potentials propagate through the optic nerve and are integrated in the visual cortex to construct visual perception. The physical foundation of this process involves photon–molecule interactions, conformational protein dynamics, and modulation of membrane ion conductance that determine retinal sensitivity across varying intensities.
Similarly, the auditory system functions through mechanotransduction — the conversionof mechanical sound vibrations into electrical impulses within the cochlea. Hair cells located in the organ of Corti bend in response to sound-induced movement of the basilar membrane, opening ion channels that produce an electrical potential proportional to the sound amplitude and frequency. The study analyzed the frequency–response characteristics of hair cells and observed age-dependent variations in receptor sensitivity.
The results revealed that both vision and hearing receptors share a fundamental bioelectrical mechanism — transformation of physical energy (light or sound) into neural signals. However, their sensitivity, adaptation speed, and threshold levels differ depending on structural specialization and environmental conditions. The research also identified a correlation between receptor fatigue and prolonged stimulus exposure, suggesting that energy conversion efficiency decreases with receptor overstimulation. Based on the findings, we propose an integrative bio-physical model describing how photonic and acoustic stimuli are converted into action potentials, highlighting their shared quantum-mechanical and ion-channel dynamics. These insights are of practical significance for the development of bioengineering devices, such as visual prostheses and cochlear implants, that replicate natural sensory transduction mechanisms.
Keywords
Vision receptors, hearing receptors, phototransduction, mechanotransduction, receptor potential, bioelectric signaling, rhodopsin, cochlear hair cells, sensory biophysics, neural transduction, photochemical processes, auditory physiology, sensory adaptation, quantum absorption, bioengineering applications
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