Vivek Kumar, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Researches behavior and behavioral abnormalities, including addiction, ADHD and depression, using mouse genetics as a platform.

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About Vivek Kumar, Ph.D.

The Kumar lab studies neural circuits in the brain whose misregulation leads to behavioral abnormalities including addiction, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder,and depression. Using mouse molecular genetics as a foundation, and a combination of biochemistry, physiology, and imaging techniques, we dissect these complex behaviors in mammals.

We use two functional genomics approaches in mice—forward genetic ethylnitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screens and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis—to identify genes and pathways that regulate these behaviors. Powerful and unbiased, forward genetic approaches make no a priori assumptions and only require a clear, well-defined assay for gene discovery. We have used a high-throughput screening pipeline to discover mutants for cocaine response and open-field behavior. Using physical mapping followed by next-generation sequencing, we have identified novel genes and alleles that regulate cocaine response and anxiety-related behaviors.

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Selected Publications

Highlighted Abstract

The mammalian circadian clock involves a transcriptional feed back loop in which CLOCK and BMAL1 activate the Period and Cryptochrome genes, which then feedback and repress their own transcription. We have interrogated the transcriptional architecture of the circadian transcriptional regulatory loop on a genome scale in mouse liver and find a stereotyped, time-dependent pattern of transcription factor binding, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) recruitment, RNA expression, and chromatin states. We find that the circadian transcriptional cycle of the clock consists of three distinct phases: a poised state, a coordinated de novo transcriptional activation state, and a repressed state. Only 22% of messenger RNA (mRNA) cycling genes are driven by de novo transcription, suggesting that both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms underlie the mammalian circadian clock. We also find that circadian modulation of RNAPII recruitment and chromatin remodeling occurs on a genome-wide scale far greater than that seen previously by gene expression profiling.

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Featured ArticleSeptember 20, 2018
Discovering new addiction genes
Assistant Professor Vivek Kumar, Ph.D. gave a TED-style talk on addiction as part of the Laboratory’s JAXtaposition speaker series.
Press ReleaseJune 20, 2016
$3.4M grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse for Jackson Laboratory addiction study
JAX Assistant Professor Vivek Kumar will use the five-year grant to pinpoint genetic variants that increase susceptibility to addiction.
Blog PostFebruary 03, 2016
The key to addressing the addiction epidemic begins with science
Addiction is a chronic illness, with genetic, environmental and social aspects that are similar in scope to illnesses such as diabetes. Why should one be treated as a social and moral failure while the other is a medical issue?
Press ReleaseAugust 21, 2014
Addiction researcher Vivek Kumar, Ph.D., joins The Jackson Laboratory faculty
Vivek Kumar, Ph.D., has a background in neuroscience and specializes in addiction research. He will be joining the JAX faculty in late 2014.

Research HighlightDecember 01, 2016
Discovering the genetic basis of sleep regulation
Researchers at JAX and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have identified two genes that play significant roles in maintaining regular sleep.
Blog PostJune 06, 2016
Former opioid users are at a greater risk of overdosing than the newly addicted
JAX Associate Professor Vivek Kumar, Ph.D., explains why opioid users who have recently been released from prison or those who have already detoxed are more likely to overdose than new drug users.
Search MagazineJanuary 16, 2016
Exploring the mysteries of the brain
By blending classical and cutting-edge genetic approaches, Vivek Kumar is unveiling the genes at work within the brain to control complex behaviors, such as anxiety and addiction