Brian Kopell, MD

Brian H. Kopell, MD, is a global leader in neurosurgery and neuromodulation, dedicated to advancing brain health and wellness. He serves as Director of the Center for Neuromodulation, one of the world’s busiest neuromodulation centers, and Co-Director of The Bonnie and Tom Strauss Center for Movement Disorders. With over 2,000 Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedures performed, Dr. Kopell pioneered intraoperative imaging to enhance surgical safety and efficiency and was the first in the world to record dopamine and serotonin in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in a human.

His groundbreaking clinical trials have expanded the use of neuromodulation for Parkinson’s disease, tremor, tinnitus, Tourette’s syndrome, and major depression. As co-lead of the landmark Living Brain Project, Dr. Kopell demonstrated that brain tissue collected from living patients exhibits distinct molecular and protein signatures compared with standard postmortem samples, highlighting the critical importance of studying the living human brain. These findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry and PLOS ONE and represent one of the largest investigations of human brain biology ever performed.

A passionate advocate for brain wellness, Dr. Kopell promotes neurological optimization through advanced therapies and lifestyle strategies. His expertise bridges medicine and technology, reshaping both how brain disorders are treated and how individuals maintain cognitive and physical vitality. He also serves as Chief Neurological Consultant on the Medical Commission of the Enhanced Games, advancing athlete health and performance through rigorous science and safety standards.

Dr. Kopell is a Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Health System. He earned his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MD from NYU School of Medicine, completed neurosurgery training at NYU Medical Center, and undertook fellowships in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at New York University, the University Hospital in Zurich, the Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Northstar Neuroscience, a NASDAQ-listed company developing cortical brain stimulation implants for stroke rehabilitation, tinnitus, and depression. He currently serves as section editor for World
Neurosurgery and chief neurosurgical editor for Medscape.com.

Dr. Kopell is also a public educator, with over 4.4 million views on Wired’s “Neurosurgeon Answers Brain Surgery Questions,” shaping the future of neuromodulation while championing a holistic approach to brain health.