A photo of Donald Gilbert.

Pediatric Movement Disorders and Tourette Syndrome Specialist, Division of Neurology

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

513-636-4222

513-636-3980

Board Certified

My Biography & Research

Biography

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.

Additional Languages

French, Spanish

Clinical Interests

Movement disorders; Tourette syndrome; ataxia; dystonia; functional movement disorders; chorea; neurogenetics; ADHD

Research Interests

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

Academic Affiliation

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Clinical Divisions

Neurology, Tourette Syndrome, Dystonia and Surgical Movement Disorders, Rasopathy

Research Divisions

Neurology

My Locations

My Education

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.

My Publications

Synaptic processes and immune-related pathways implicated in Tourette syndrome. Tsetsos, F; Sul, JH; Illmann, C; Osiecki, L; Darrow, SM; Hirschtritt, ME; Greenberg, E; Muller-Vahl, KR; Stuhrmann, M; Dion, Y; et al. Translational Psychiatry. 2021; 11.

Relationship between GABA levels and task-dependent cortical excitability in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Harris, AD; Gilbert, DL; Horn, PS; Crocetti, D; Cecil, KM; Edden, RA E; Huddleston, DA; Mostofsky, SH; Puts, NA J. Electromyography and Clinical Neurophysiology. 2021; 132:1163-1172.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies genes associated with Tourette's disorder in multiplex families. Zhang, Y; Abdulkadir, M; Deng, L; Fernandez, TV; Garcia-Delgar, B; Hagstrøm, J; Hoekstra, PJ; King, RA; Koesterich, J; Kuperman, S; et al. Molecular Psychiatry. 2021.

Motor cortex modulation and reward in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Detrick, JA; Zink, C; Rosch, KS; Horn, PS; Huddleston, DA; Crocetti, D; Wu, SW; Pedapati, EV; Wassermann, EM; Mostofsky, SH; et al. Brain Communications. 2021; 3.

Implementation of the Mini-Child Tourette Syndrome Impairment Scale: Relationships to Symptom Severity and Treatment Decisions. Garris, JF; Huddleston, DA; Jackson, HS; Horn, PS; Gilbert, DL. Journal of Child Neurology. 2021; 36:288-295.

Altered frontal-mediated inhibition and white matter connectivity in pediatric chronic tic disorders. Bruce, AB; Yuan, W; Gilbert, DL; Horn, PS; Jackson, HS; Huddleston, DA; Wu, SW. Experimental Brain Research. 2021; 239:955-965.

Pearls & Oy-sters: A Novel Presentation of Ataxia With Vitamin E Deficiency Caused by TTPA Gene Mutation. Zea Vera, A; Liu, W; Thomas, C; Gilbert, DL. Neurology. 2021; 96:e640-e642.

Safety and recommendations for TMS use in healthy subjects and patient populations, with updates on training, ethical and regulatory issues: Expert Guidelines. Rossi, S; Antal, A; Bestmann, S; Bikson, M; Brewer, C; Brockmöller, J; Carpenter, LL; Cincotta, M; Chen, R; Daskalakis, JD; et al. Electromyography and Clinical Neurophysiology. 2021; 132:269-306.

Motor cortex facilitation: a marker of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder co-occurrence in autism spectrum disorder. Pedapati, EV; Mooney, LN; Wu, SW; Erickson, CA; Sweeney, JA; Shaffer, RC; Horn, PS; Wink, LK; Gilbert, DL. Translational Psychiatry. 2019; 9.

The 2018 Pediatric Neurology Trainee Publication Award. Scher, MS; Breningstall, G; Gilbert, D; Jordan, L; Khakoo, Y; LePichon, J. Pediatric Neurology. 2019; 101.