Which of the following best describes the electrical response of the rods to light?: (A) Action potential, (B) Capacitive discharge, (C) Depolarization, (D) Hyperpolarization
Answer is D. The rod receptor potential is hyperpolarizing, not depolarizing. It is a receptor potential not action potential. Hyperpolarization leads to decrease in the release of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, from the synaptic terminals of the photoreceptor.