Which retinal layer contains the cell bodies of retinal ganglion cells?

• A. Inner Plexiform Layer
• B. Ganglion Cell Layer
• C. Outer Nuclear Layer
• D. Inner Nuclear Layer

Answer: (B)

Retinal neurons are organized in layers, with each cell type having its cell bodies in a specific layer. The cell bodies of retinal ganglion cells are located in the ganglion cell layer, which sits near the inner surface of the retina. Their dendrites reach into the inner plexiform layer to receive input from bipolar and amacrine cells, while their axons run through the nerve fiber layer toward the optic nerve. The outer nuclear layer houses photoreceptor cell bodies, the inner nuclear layer contains bipolar, horizontal, and amacrine cell bodies, and the inner plexiform layer is a synaptic zone—not where ganglion cell bodies reside.