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
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
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Divergent aperiodic slope and alpha dynamics expose cortical excitability gradients in fragile X syndrome. Molecular Autism. 2025; 16:49.
Determining Clinically Meaningful Improvement in Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome Receiving Pharmacotherapy. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2025; 35:447-453.
"Mini Molar Tooth " Sign in POLR3B-Associated Cerebellar Ataxia with Hypomyelinating Leukodystrophy. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice. 2025; 12:1659-1661.
6.74 Efficacy of Ecopipam on Motor and Phonic Tics in Tourette’s Disorder: Data From a Phase 3 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2025; 64:s328.
Essential Components of Child Neurology Training: Program Director Consensus Recommendations. 2025.
FX ENTRAIN: scientific context, study design, and biomarker driven brain-computer interfaces in neurodevelopmental conditions. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2025; 19:1618804.
Safety and Effect of 12-Month Ecopipam Treatment in Pediatric Patients with Tourette Syndrome. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice. 2025; 12:1157-1166.
Reliability of short interval cortical inhibition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2025; 175:2110750.
Frontal cortex hyperactivation and gamma desynchrony in Fragile X syndrome: Correlates of auditory hypersensitivity. PloS one. 2025; 20:e0306157.
Probing the Neurodynamic Mechanisms of Cognitive Flexibility in Depressed Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2025; 35:231-243.
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS, Sudhakar Vadivelu, DO11/15/2024
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS4/12/2024
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS3/30/2022
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS11/11/2021
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