College of Veterinary Medicine

Honors and Awards:

1983 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award, University of California, Davis
1983 Graduate Student Research Award, University of California, Davis
1986 Vet Med Yearbook Teacher of the Year, Class of 1989, UC Davis
1989 Teacher of the Year Award, Class of 1992, 2000, 2005 University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
1998 National All-Collegiate Advisor Award, BFGoodrich Collegiate Inventors Program
1999 Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
2000, 2003 Basic Science Teacher of the Year, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
2006 University of Florida Research Professorship Award

Research Interests:

1. The in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, and immunohistochemistry of the single sensory neurons, spinal cord and brainstem interneurons, and motoneurons mediating control of the reproductive and pelvic organs; normal mechanisms, role in reproductive behavior and micturition, sensory and motor dysfunction following chronic spinal cord injury, chronic pain, efficacy of neural transplantation in recovery of function.

2. Electrophysiology and neuroanatomy of the peripheral sensory nerves with respect to chronic nerve injury and nerve regeneration strategies; response properties of single sensory neurons innervating skin, viscera, and muscle; efficacy of target-specific nerve trophic factors in recovery of function.

Selected Publications:

For Publications Extracted From Medline Click HERE

Rau, KK, Johnson, RD, Cooper, BY.Nicotinic AChr in subclassified capsaicin sensitive and insensitive nociceptors of the rat DRG. J. Neurophysiol. 93:1358-1371, 2005.

Rau, KK, Caudle, RM, Cooper, BY, Johnson, RD. Diverse immunocytochemical expression of opioid receptors in electrophysiologically defined cells of rat dorsal root ganglia. J. Chem. Neuroanat. 29:255-264, 2005.

Vierck, CJ, Acosta-Rua, A, Johnson, RD.Bilateral chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve:A model of long-term cold hyperalgesia, J. Pain, 6: 507-517, 2005.

Johnson, RD. Descending pathways modulating the spinal circuitry for ejaculation: effects of chronic spinal cord injury. In: Autonomic Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury: (L.C. Weaver; C. Polosa, eds).Prog. Brain Res. Elsevier, Amsterdam; Vol 152: pp 415-426, 2006.

Hubscher, CH and Johnson, RD.Chronic spinal cord injury-induced changes in the response of thalamic neurons.Exp. Neurol., 197: 177-188, 2006.

Jiang N, Rau KK, Johnson RD, Cooper BY.Proton sensitivity, Ca2+ permeability, and molecular basis of ASIC channels expressed in glabrous and hairy skin afferents.J. Neurophysiol., 95:2466-2478, 2006.

Rau, KK, Cooper, BY, Johnson, RD.Expression of TWIK-related acid sensitive K+ channels in capsaicin sensitive and insensitive cells of rat dorsal root ganglia, Neurosci., 141: 955-963, 2006.