Rashad Hussain, PhD

Education

• 2001 | B. Sc. Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Punjab University, Pakistan
• 2003 | M. Sc. Zoology (Reproductive Physiology), PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
• 2007 | Non-Degree Affiliation, Research Fellow, PMAS Arid Agriculture University/Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan
• 2011 | Ph.D Neurosciences (Signaling and Integrated Networks in Neuroscience), Université Paris-Saclay, France

Post-Graduate

• 2011-2012 | Post-doctoral Fellow/ Visiting Researcher, Biopathologie de la Myéline, Neuroprotection, Université de Strasbourg, France
• 2012-2013 | Post-doctoral Fellow, Neural Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• 2013-2017 | Post-doctoral Fellow, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Denver, CO

Dr. Rashad Hussain is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and a member of the Medicine Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the Université Paris-Saclay, France, and completed postdoctoral training at the Université de Strasbourg (France), Temple University (Philadelphia), and the University of Colorado, Denver.

Dr. Hussain’s research program spans fundamental and translational neuroscience, with a particular focus on glial biology, white matter pathology, traumatic brain injury (TBI), sleep regulation, and dysfunctions of the glymphatic system, the brain’s waste clearance pathway. His early work established the therapeutic potential of stimulating neural androgen receptors to promote myelin repair in demyelinating conditions, research that led to multiple patents and high-impact publications. During his postdoctoral studies, he further investigated intracellular signaling mechanisms and axonal regeneration, elucidating integrin-linked kinase (ILK)–dependent pathways critical for oligodendrocyte proliferation and myelination.

More recently, Dr. Hussain has concentrated on the role of the glymphatic system in brain injury and neurodegeneration. His pioneering studies, including a 2023 Nature publication, revealed that potentiating glymphatic drainage significantly reduces post-traumatic cerebral edema, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in TBI. In collaboration with Dr. Maiken Nedergaard at University of Rochester, NY, he uncovered the role of cervical lymphatic vessels in regulating cerebral edema and demonstrated that this clearance mechanism can be enhanced through noradrenergic inhibition. These findings have opened new avenues for therapeutic interventions and quantitative assessment of brain fluid dynamics in both health and disease.

Dr. Hussain also explores innovative approaches such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a means to augment glymphatic clearance and improve cognitive outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). His laboratory integrates in vivo imaging, behavioral models, molecular analysis, and computational modeling to dissect the mechanisms by which neuromodulation and vascular-glial interactions shape brain homeostasis.

His research is consistently supported by major funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD), underscoring the impact and translational potential of his work.

Glial biology, Oligodendrocyte development & myelination, Axonal regeneration, White matter pathology, Neuroinflammation, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Cerebral edema, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Alzheimer’s disease–related dementias (ADRD), Air pollution/air particulate matter, Multiple sclerosis (MS), Neurodegeneration, Glymphatic system, Cervical lymphatic vessels, Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), In vivo imaging (two-photon, vascular, glymphatic), Behavioral neuroscience (learning, memory, sleep), Molecular and cellular neurobiology, Neurovascular and neuro-glial interactions.

1. Hussain R, Nedergaard M. Managing noradrenaline after traumatic brain injury. Clin Transl Med. 2024;14(1).
2. Sun Q, Peng S, Xu Q, Weikop P, Hussain R, Song W, et al. Enhancing glymphatic fluid transport by pan-adrenergic blockade suppresses epileptogenesis. Nat Commun. 2024;15:9600.
3. Hussain R, Tithof J, Wang W, Cheetham-West A, Song W, Peng W, et al. Potentiating glymphatic drainage minimizes post-traumatic cerebral edema. Nature. 2023;623(7984):992-1000.
4. Hussain R, Graham U, Elder A, Nedergaard M. Air pollution, glymphatic failure and Alzheimer disease? Trends Neurosci. 2023;46(11):901-911.
5. Lundgaard I, Wang W, Eberhardt A, Vinitsky HS, Reeves BC, Peng S, Lou N, Hussain R, Nedergaard M. Beneficial effects of low alcohol exposure, but adverse effects of high alcohol intake on glymphatic function. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):2246.
6. Hussain R, Macklin WB. Integrin linked kinase (ILK) deletion disrupts oligodendrocyte development by altering cell cycle. J Neurosci. 2017;37(8):2113-6.
7. Abi Ghanem C, Degerny C, Hussain R, Liere P, Pianos A, Tourpin S, et al. Long-lasting masculinizing effects of postnatal androgens on myelin governed by the brain androgen receptor. PLoS Genet. 2017;13(11):e1007049.
8. Ohtake Y, Kong W, Hussain R, Horiuchi M, Tremblay ML, Ganea D, et al. Protein tyrosine phosphatase regulates autoimmune encephalomyelitis development. Brain Behav Immun. 2017;65:111-124.
9. Hussain R, Ghoumari AM, Bielecki B, Steibel J, Boehm N, Liere P, et al. The neural androgen receptor: a therapeutic target for myelin repair in chronic demyelination. Brain. 2013;136(Pt 1):132-146.
10. Hussain R, El-Etr M, Gaci O, Rakotomamonjy J, Macklin WB, Kumar N, et al. Progesterone and nestorone facilitate axon remyelination: a role for progesterone receptors. Endocrinology. 2011;152(10):3820-31.