Welcome
We are a group of geneticists, neuroscientists, and computer scientists who are passionate about discoveries of novel targets and models for mental illness through innovation at the confluence of computational, genetic, and genomic methods.
The Kumar Laboratory is located at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. We study neural circuits in the brain whose misregulation leads to behavioral abnormalities including addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depression. Using mouse molecular genetics as a foundation, and a combination of computational, biochemistry, physiology, and imaging techniques, we dissect these complex conditions in mammals.
Primarily, we use functional genomic approaches in mice to identify genes and pathways that regulate these behaviors. We seek to develop better models of human diseases that can be used by the biomedical research community for therapeutics. Recently, we have applied machine learning and artificial intelligence methods to understand animal behavior at high spatial and temporal resolution, objectively, and over long periods of time. Our work has been published in numerous high impact journals such as Science, eLife, Nature Communications Biology, among others.
Latest Lab News and Blogs:
Yan Dong Visit and Lab Hike #4
Dr. Yan Dong was Vivek's Thursday seminar guest. Dr. Dong visited from the University of Pittsburgh. He gave an excellent seminar on the neurobiology of addiction. We hiked Gorham Mountain.
Vivek gives a seminar at University of Texas-Houston
Vivek visited and gave a seminar in the Univeristy of Texas-Houston Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Seung Hee Yoo hosted Vivek. It was a fun visit to a great department. Houston was heavily affected by Hurricane Harvey. Here is a flood gate that...
Vivek organizes the 2nd course on IMPACTS OF SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN BIOLOGY ON ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND AGING
'The second year of the course was held at JAX on Oct 17-20 and brought together speakers and students ~40.
ML-Behavior Workshop
Vivek co-organized THE SHORT COURSE ON THE APPLICATION OF MACHINE LEARNING FOR AUTOMATED QUANTIFICATION OF BEHAVIOR at High Seas on Oct. 2022. Brian and Leinani ran a workshop and attended the course. [gallery columns="4"...
Vivek presents lab research at UTHSC
Vivek was invited by the graduate students of the UTHSC Neuroscience Program. He met with several colleagues and met new students. His talk focused on the use of computer vision for preclinical models of psychiatric disease.
Vivek presents poster at Gordon Research Conference on the Neurobiology of Addiction
Vivek attended the GRC on addiction at Newry, Maine. The conference consisted of ~200 neuroscientists.
Some useful links