Mark S George

Dr. Mark S George is a Professor and the Layton McCurdy Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is a world-renowned expert in brain stimulation techniques, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), with a primary focus on treating depression and other psychiatric disorders. Dr. George has pioneered several groundbreaking approaches in neuromodulation that have received FDA approval and transformed clinical practice.

Dr. George's research interests center on brain stimulation methods and brain imaging for understanding and treating depression. His work spans from fundamental neuroscience investigations of how brain stimulation affects neural circuits to large-scale clinical trials evaluating therapeutic applications. He has made seminal contributions to the field by discovering that daily prefrontal rTMS over several weeks could treat depression (FDA approved in 2008) and pioneering vagus nerve stimulation for resistant depression (FDA approved in 2006). His research integrates functional MRI and non-invasive stimulation techniques, either separately or in combination, to understand brain regions involved in regulating emotion in health and disease.

Analysis of Dr. George's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on advancing neuromodulation techniques for psychiatric treatment. His work spans multiple domains including optimization of stimulation parameters (TMS, tDCS, VNS), development of personalized treatment approaches, exploration of novel applications for conditions like PTSD and substance use disorders, and investigation of mechanisms underlying brain stimulation effects. A notable trend is the increasing emphasis on home-based and self-administered neuromodulation approaches, particularly for conditions like long COVID and tobacco addiction.

• NARSAD Klerman Award (2000)
• NARSAD Falcone Award (2008)
• Lifetime Achievement Award from World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (2007)
• Named one of 14 'medical pioneers who are not holding back' by US News and World Report (2009)

Dr. George has been continuously funded by NIH and other agencies since his fellowships, receiving both NARSAD Young Investigator and Independent Investigator Awards. He serves on multiple editorial review boards and NIH study sections. He is the editor-in-chief of the journal 'Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translation and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation,' which he launched with Elsevier in 2008. With over 400 scientific publications and 6 authored or edited books, Dr. George has significantly shaped the field of neuromodulation.

At MUSC, Dr. George built the functional neuroimaging division and brain stimulation laboratories, which have grown into the MUSC Center for Advanced Imaging Research, now part of the SC Brain Imaging Center of Excellence. His laboratory continues to be at the forefront of developing and testing novel neuromodulation approaches, with recent work focusing on combining different stimulation techniques, developing home-based treatment options, and applying advanced imaging methods to understand treatment mechanisms and personalize interventions.