Jessica Gilbert, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
Dr. Jessica Gilbert is the Director of MEG Research for the Section on the Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. She completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Aston University in Birmingham, UK. After postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, she came to the NIMH to continue her work using electrophysiological methods to examine the neurobiological substrates underlying mood disorders, suicide risk, and the mechanisms of action of novel, rapid-acting antidepressants.
Research Interests
Dr. Gilbert is broadly interested in computational psychiatry and using advanced computational tools to examine relationships between behavior, clinical symptoms, and electrophysiological data in the context of mood disorders and suicide risk. Her research examines how depression and risk for suicide lead to changes in brain network connectivity. She uses computational methods to model brain dynamics to better characterize the neurobiology underlying depression and suicide risk. She is also interested in modeling network-level brain changes associated with ketamine and other novel, rapid-acting antidepressants.
Selected Publications
Magnetoencephalography biomarkers of suicide attempt history and antidepressant response to ketamine in treatment-resistant major depression . Gilbert, JR, Gerner, JL, Burton, CR, Nugent, AC, and Zarate Jr., CA. and Ballard, ED. 2022. Journal of Affective Disorders. PMID: 35728680
A predictive coding framework for understanding major depression . Gilbert, JR, Wusinich, C, and Zarate Jr., CA. 2022. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. PMID: 35308621
Fine-tuning neural excitation/inhibition for tailored ketamine use in treatment-resistant depression. Fagerholm, ED, Leech, R, Williams, S, Zarate Jr., CA, Moran, RJ, and Gilbert, JR. 2021. Translational Psychiatry. PMID: 34052834
Ketamine and attentional bias toward emotional faces: Dynamic causal modeling of magnetoencephalographic connectivity in treatment-resistant depression. Gilbert, JR, Galiano, CS, Nugent, AC, and Zarate Jr., CA. 2021. Frontiers in Psychiatry. PMID: 34220581
Electrophysiological biomarkers of antidepressant response to ketamine in treatment-resistant depression: Gamma power and long-term potentiation. Gilbert, JR, and Zarate Jr., CA. 2020. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. PMID: 31958471
Magnetoencephalographic correlates of suicidal ideation in major depression. Gilbert, JR, Ballard, ED, Galiano, CS, Nugent, AC, and Zarate Jr., CA. 2020. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. PMID: 31928949
Glutamatergic signaling drives ketamine-mediated response in depression: Evidence from dynamic causal modeling. Gilbert, JR, Yarrington, JS, Wills, KE, Nugent, AC, and Zarate Jr., CA. 2018. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. PMID: ;29668918
Inputs to prefrontal cortex support visual recognition in the aging brain. Gilbert, JR, and Moran, RJ. 2016. Scientific Reports. PMID: 27550752
Profiling neuronal ion channelopathies with non-invasive brain imaging and dynamic causal models: Case studies of single gene mutations . Gilbert, JR, Symmonds, M, Hanna, MG, Dolan, RJ, Friston, KJ, and Moran, RJ. 2016. Neuroimage. PMID: 26342528