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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Recent Tweets
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RT @NIDAnews: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other op… -
RT @bsauerbrei1: Neuropixels 2.0 probes enable recording from 768 channels (selectable from 10,240 sites) in an unrestrained mouse. I'm gla…
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RT @CamronBryantPhD: Don't miss the @IBANGStweets IBANGS Trainee Symposium on May 10 as a prelude to the 2021 virtual @Genes2B Meeting! Als…
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RT @arifahamid: Very happy to share the final product of this exhilarating project on striatal #Dopaminewaves and their role in agency lear…
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@JoelGraberMDIBL @nytimes Agree - my guess is that they were trying to meet the expectation that increase over time is good and decrease over time is bad. Trying to fit the plot to this stereotype.
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Usually I love @nytimes data graphics. This one with a reversed y-axis makes me uncomfortable. t.co/UdpuI85gmq t.co/aSkGrd5g9J
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@DerandaLester @BioRender Seen...
Topics
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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Research HighlightApril 05, 2021Using machine learning to analyze mouse behavior
JAX researcher Dr. Vivek Kumar trains computers (using machine learning) to analyze specific mouse behaviors. -
Press ReleaseJuly 10, 2019How do sleep and social interaction affect addiction?
Innovative AI technology captures mouse sleep and social behaviors for the study of their influence on drug intake and addiction. -
Featured ArticleSeptember 20, 2018Discovering 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.
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Press ReleaseJuly 28, 2020Building better mouse models for addiction research
NIDA grant to Vivek Kumar of JAX will fund development of new preclinical models of addiction. -
Search MagazineMay 22, 2019JAX scientists speak out on the crisis of opioid addiction
JAX scientists are intensifying their efforts to shed light on the genetic and neurobiological causes of addiction, along with the impact of environmental influences. -
Research HighlightDecember 01, 2016Discovering 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, 2016Former 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.