Rate My Professor Ethan Hughes

Ethan Hughes, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He earned a B.S. from George Washington University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, where he trained in the laboratory of Rita Balice-Gordon. Hughes completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dwight Bergles at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before joining the University of Colorado Anschutz as Assistant Professor in 2016. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2022. He is affiliated with the Biomedical Sciences Program, Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Program, Medical Scientist Training Program, Molecular Biology Program, and Neuroscience Graduate Program.

The research in the Hughes lab examines neuron-glial interactions in the adult central nervous system, focusing on how oligodendrocyte lineage cells interact with neurons in the cerebral cortex to modulate brain function and contribute to pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. Oligodendrocytes, the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system, enable rapid synaptic communication, and their dysfunction underlies disorders such as multiple sclerosis and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. The lab utilizes advanced methods including long-term two-photon in vivo imaging, optogenetics, genetically encoded calcium indicators, and transcriptomics to investigate dynamic changes in neurons and glial cells. Key publications include "Myelin remodeling through experience-dependent oligodendrogenesis in the adult somatosensory cortex" (Nature Neuroscience, 2018), "Motor Learning Promotes Remyelination via New and Surviving Oligodendrocytes" (Nature Neuroscience, 2020), "Motor Learning Drives Dynamic Patterns of Intermittent Myelination on Learning-activated Axons" (Nature Neuroscience, 2022), and "Long-term in vivo three-photon imaging reveals region-specific differences in healthy and regenerative oligodendrogenesis" (Nature Neuroscience, 2024). Hughes has garnered over 12,500 citations for his contributions to cellular neuroscience, neuron-glial interactions, and synaptogenesis. Notable awards include the McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award in 2025 for investigating myelin remodeling in Alzheimer's disease and an NIH BRAIN Initiative grant in 2017 for miniature microscope development for brain imaging.