The cells in the photographs shown are the cells that accompany and feed the neurons in the retina, they are called Müller glia.
On the wall, there are three paintings showing these cells. In the elongated one, they are seen forming pillars that maintain the structure of the retina. And in the other two, they are shown growing on glass, in what we call cell cultures. They have a flattened shape, and the elongated filaments within the cell are the skeleton that gives them their structural function in the retina.
These cells release substances that aid neuron survival, and in whales, they allow neurons to regenerate and send out extremely long processes. We are currently analyzing the composition of these substances in the hope of finding a substance that helps regenerate neuron axons in other species.
