Brad Wilkes

Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Bradley Wilkes is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology. He completed his masters and doctoral degrees in Psychology at the University of Florida. His master’s thesis focused on oculomotor and vestibulo-ocular reflex function in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). His doctoral dissertation focused on magnetic resonance imaging of neural circuitry mediating restricted repetitive behavior in individuals with ASD and a mouse model of motor stereotypy.
Dr. Wilkes’ current research focuses on basal ganglia and cerebellar networks and their critical role in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and essential tremor. He utilizes magnetic resonance imaging to study brain structure and function in clinical populations and animal models of movement disorders. He has published research in journals that include Science: Translational Medicine, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Experimental Neurology, Human Brain Mapping, Autism Research, and Neuroimage: Clinical.

Research Interests

Dr.Wilkes is interested in the basal ganglia and cerebellar networks in movement disorders as well as brain changes resulting from interventions aimed at treating movement disorders. He utilizes translational neuroimaging and advanced diffusion MRI techniques. 

 

Selected Publications

    • Mitchell, T., Wilkes, B.J., Archer, D.B., Chu, W.T., Coombes, S.A., Lai, S., McFarland, N.R., Okun, M.S., Black, M.L., Herschel, E., et al. (2022). Advanced diffusion imaging to track progression in Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Neuroimage Clin 34, 103022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103022.
    • Caffall, Z.F., Wilkes, B.J., Hernández-Martinez, R., Rittiner, J.E., Fox, J.T., Wan, K.K., Shipman, M.K., Titus, S.A., Zhang, Y.-Q., Patnaik, S., et al. (2021). The HIV protease inhibitor, ritonavir, corrects diverse brain phenotypes across development in mouse model of DYT-TOR1A dystonia. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Aug 18;13(607). Sci Transl Med. 2021 Aug 18;13(607). https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.abd3904.
    • Wilkes, B.J., DeSimone, J.C., Liu, Y., Chu, W.T., Coombes, S.A., Li, Y., and Vaillancourt, D.E. (2021). Cell-specific effects of Dyt1 knock-out on sensory processing, network-level connectivity, and motor deficits. Exp Neurol 343, 113783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113783.
    • Liu, Y., Xing, H., Wilkes, B.J., Yokoi, F., Chen, H., Vaillancourt, D.E., and Li, Y. (2020). The abnormal firing of Purkinje cells in the knockin mouse model of DYT1 dystonia. Brain Res Bull 165: 14-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.09.011
    • Wilkes, B.J., Wagle Shukla, A., Casamento-Moran, A., Hess, C.W., Christou, E.A., Okun, M.S., and Vaillancourt, D.E. (2020). Effects of Ventral Intermediate Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Across Multiple Effectors in Essential Tremor. Clinical Neurophysiology, 131(1): 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2019.10.019