Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein received a master’s degree in neurochemistry from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from the University of Illinois Health Sciences Center. He then obtained his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He went on to complete an internship at the University of North Carolina Memorial Hospital before joining The Johns Hopkins for his residency. While at Johns Hopkins, he became chief resident in neurology and completed his fellowship in neuromuscular disease. 

Now a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Rothstein focuses on neuromuscular diseases, with a particular focus on Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Other clinical areas relevant to his laboratory based research include: idiopathic stupor, epilepsy and motor neuron degeneration. His laboratory research includes: 1) Various molecular mechanisms of selective neurodegeneration in motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 2) Identification of novel drug or peptide therapeutics to delay or prevent motor neuron degeneration in ALS thru the use of cell culture and transgenic models of ALS; 3) Use of neuronal and non-neuronal stem cell therapies to treat motor neurons diseases including ALS and Spinal Muscular Atrophy; 4) Models of motor axon regeneration regrowth; 5) Clinical trials of novel therapeutics in ALS; 6) Basic biology of glutamate transporters and their role in acute and chronic neuronal degeneration (e.g. ALS, epilepsy, stroke, spinocerebellar ataxia); 7) Cloning and characterization of novel proteins which may be responsible for the cellular regulation of glutamate transporters.

His laboratory includes more than 20 post doctoral fellows, neurology residents, neuromuscular and epilepsy fellows, undergraduate students, technicians and ALS clinic staff. He has been the principal and/or local investigator in eight national or international trials in ALS. He is the author of more than 100 articles on basic and clinical neuroscience.

Dr. Rothstein’s laboratory research is funded through the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the ALS Association and Project A.L.S.

Dr. Rothstein currently sees patients at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center located in Baltimore on Mondays.

Certifications:

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology