My parents inspired me to find a vocation that involved helping others. My fascination with the function of the human brain emerged in college, where I majored in philosophy. As a pediatric neurologist, I treat children and adolescents with movement disorders, including Tourette syndrome.
In my practice, I try to understand how neurological conditions and symptoms affect the child's life and function. With my work, I continually add to the field of neuroscience and find ways to apply new discoveries to improve children's quality of life.
Our team is pursuing multiple lines of research. We use transcranial magnetic stimulation to develop biomarkers of behavioral disorders and understand how the brain controls movement in healthy children and children affected by Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and Neurofibromatosis. We hope to modulate the brain to improve symptoms. We participate in larger networks of researchers to identify new genes and do clinical trials of new medications.
In my free time, I’m an avid reader, and I also like to exercise and travel.
BA: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1987.
MD: University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, 1993.
MS: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2003.
Pediatrics, Child Neurology Residency: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 1998.
Certification: Board Certified in Neurology with Special Competence in Child Neurology, 2010; Board eligible in Pediatrics.
Appointment: Professor of Pediatric Neurology.
Movement disorders; Tourette syndrome; ataxia; dystonia; functional movement disorders; chorea; neurogenetics; ADHD
Neurology, Tourette Syndrome, Dystonia and Surgical Movement Disorders, Rasopathy
Clinical trials in Tourette syndrome and ataxia; genetics of Tourette syndrome; transcranial magnetic stimulation for neuromodulation and development of biomarkers of neurobehavioral symptoms for Tourette syndrome; ADHD; neurofibromatosis
Neurology
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Genome-Wide Association Study Points to Novel Locus for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome. Biological Psychiatry. 2024; 96:114-124.
Differences in Tic Severity Among Adolescent Girls and Boys with Tourette Syndrome During the Pandemic. Neuropediatrics: journal of pediatric neurobiology, neurology and neurosurgery. 2024; 55:67-70.
Rare X-linked variants carry predominantly male risk in autism, Tourette syndrome, and ADHD. Nature Communications. 2023; 14:8077.
Polygenic risk score-based phenome-wide association study identifies novel associations for Tourette syndrome. Translational Psychiatry. 2023; 13:69.
Access to Pediatric Neurology Training and Services Worldwide: A Survey by the International Child Neurology Association. Neurology. 2023; 101:798-808.
Biomarkers of tic severity in children with Tourette syndrome: Motor cortex inhibition measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2023; 65:1321-1331.
Study protocol: A cross-sectional survey of clinicians to identify barriers to clinical practice guideline implementation in the assessment and treatment of persistent tic disorders. PloS one. 2023; 18:e0288408.
Development of cancer surveillance guidelines in ataxia telangiectasia: A Delphi-based consensus survey of international experts. Cancer Medicine. 2023; 12:14663-14673.
Motor Function and Physiology in Youth With Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Pediatric Neurology. 2023; 143:34-43.
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS, Sudhakar Vadivelu, DO11/15/2024
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS3/30/2022
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS11/11/2021
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