Graduate Studies in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology

Name: Jose M. Ballesteros Major Professor: Leo M. Chalupa Department: [other or N/A] Lab Phone: 2-8341 Email: jmballesteros@ucdavis.edu Web Site:
BS - San Francisco State University - Biology with concentration in Physiology - 2004
Research Interests
I am currently studying the role that electrical activity and cholinergic input play on the development of the mouse visual system. Projections from the retina to the visual thalamus are intermingled at the beginning of the first postnatal week, but form eye specific regions by the end of the first week before eye opening occurs. In particular, I study the role of the cholinergic input from the parabrachial region of the brainstem on the development of eye specific segregation in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus.

Publications Sun, C., Warland, D.K., Ballesteros, J., van der List, D. and L.M. Chalupa. (2008) Retinal waves in mice lacking the b2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(36):13638-43. Ballesteros, J., Van Der List, D. and L. Chalupa. (2005) Formation of eye-specific retinogeniculate projections occur prior to the innervation of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus by cholinergic fibers. Thalamus and Related Systems 3(2):157-63. Reyes, R., Mendoza, J., Ballesteros, J. and C. Moffatt. (2004) Male chemogsignals inhibit neural responses of male mice to female chemosignals. Brain Research Bulletin 63(4):301-8.