Chalupa joins Department of Ophthalmology

Leo Chalupa, professor and chair of neurobiology, physiology and behavior of the UC Davis Division of Biological Sciences, accepted a joint appointment (50 percent) in the ophthalmology department in July. Chalupa specializes in the study of the structural and functional development of mammalian retinal ganglion cells. He is currently pursuing three interrelated themes. Patch-clamp recording methods are being used to examine the development of excitable membrane properties as well as ligand-gated responses in fetal and postnatal ganglion cells. The main thrust of these studies is the investigation of factors underlying the ability of retinal ganglion cells to generate spikes.