My primary research interest is in elucidating the role of vanilloid receptors (TRPV) in the mediation of pain perception in the dorsal horn of mammals. Recently, this line of research has expanded to include the study of nociception in animal models of cystitis and arthritis. Other interests include amino acid neurotransmitters, their receptors and associated proteins in the postsynaptic densities in the brain and spinal cord, nitric oxide, and the functional role of the protein palladin in reactive astrocytes and glial scar formation after injury to the central nervous system.

Valtschanoff JG, Burette A, Davare M, Leonard AS, Hell JW, Weinberg RJ (2000) SAP97 concentrates at the postsynaptic density in cerebral cortex. Europ J Neurosci 12:3605-3614.

Valtschanoff JG, Weinberg RJ (2001) Laminar organization of the NMDA receptor complex within the postsynaptic density. J Neurosci 21:1211-1217.

Valtschanoff JG, Rustioni A, Guo A, Hwang, SJ (2001) Vanilloid receptor VR1 is both pre- and postsynaptic in the superficial laminae of the rat dorsal horn. J Comp Neurol 436:225-235.

Hwang SJ, Pagliardini S, Boukhelifa M, Parast MM, Otey CA, Rustioni A, Valtschanoff JG (2001) Palladin is expressed in excitatory terminals in the rat central nervous system. J Comp Neurol 436:211-224.

Hwang SJ, Pagliardini S, Rustioni A, Valtschanoff JG (2001) Presynaptic kainate receptors in primary afferents to the superficial laminae of the rat spinal cord. J Comp Neurol 436:275-289.

Burette A, Zabel U, Weinberg RJ, Schmidt HH, Valtschanoff JG (2002) Synaptic localization of nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylyl cyclase in the hippocampus. J Neurosci. Oct 15;22(20):8961-70.

Lu CR, Hwang SJ, Phend KD, Rustioni A, Valtschanoff JG (2003) Primary afferent terminals that express presynaptic NR1 in rats are mainly from myelinated, mechanosensitive fibers. J Comp Neurol. May 26;460(2):191-202.

Hwang SJ, Burette A, Valtschanoff JG (2003) VR1-positive primary afferents contact NK1-positive spinoparabrachial neurons. J Comp Neurol. May 26;460(2):255-65.

Hwang SJ, Burette A, Rustioni A, Valtschanoff JG (2004) Vanilloid receptor VR1-positive primary afferents are glutamatergic and contact spinal neurons that co-express neurokinin receptor NK1 and glutamate receptors. J Neurocytol. May;33(3):321-9.

Bae YC, Oh JM, Hwang SJ, Shigenaga Y, Valtschanoff JG (2004) Expression of vanilloid receptor TRPV1 in the rat trigeminal sensory nuclei. J Comp Neurol, 478:62-71.

Hwang SJ, Oh JM, Valtschanoff JG (2005) Expression of the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons supports different roles of the receptor in visceral and cutaneous afferents. Brain Res. Jun 21;1047(2):261-6.

Lucifora S, Willcockson HH, Lu CR, Darstein M, Phend KD, Valtschanoff JG, Rustioni A (2006) Presynaptic low- and high-affinity kainate receptors in nociceptive spinal afferents. Pain. 120:97-105.