# When the brain talks back to the eye

## TL;DR

A new study shows that brain activity affects vision at the earliest stage in the retina through histamine release.

## Contribution

The study reveals that brain state-dependent histamine modulates retinal function, the first stage of vision.

## Key findings

- Brain state influences retinal function through histamine release.
- Histamine modulates the earliest stage of visual processing in the retina.

## Abstract

The state of our brain shapes what we see, but how early in the visual system does this start? A new study in PLOS Biology shows that brain state-dependent release of histamine modulates the very first stage of vision in the retina.

The state of our brain shapes what we see, but how early in the visual system does this start? This Primer explores a new PLOS Biology study which shows that brain state-dependent release of histamine modulates the very first stage of vision – the retina.