Manoj Kumar, PhD

In a modernized society, where it is becoming difficult to escape loud noises, exposure to loud noises is the leading cause of hyperacusis and tinnitus, the highly debilitating hearing disorders characterized by hyperexcitability of the brain cells. Hyperacusis, which is diagnosed as painful sensitivity to everyday sounds, affects 10-15% of people. Tinnitus, which is diagnosed as the perception of phantom sounds, affects about 15-20% of people. Despite the high prevalence and debilitating consequences of hyperacusis and tinnitus, treatment options are limited to hearing prosthetics with no pharmacotherapeutic options. To aid in the development of prevention and treatment options for noise-induced hyperexcitability hearing disorders, it is imperative to decipher the molecular and cellular signaling mechanisms underlying the hyperexcitability of brain cells after loud-noise exposure. In my research program, to mechanistically develop and test the pharmacotherapy for noise-induced hyperexcitability disorders, we are identifying the signaling mechanisms underlying the brain cells' hyperexcitability after loud-noise exposure at molecular-, cellular-, and behavioral levels. To achieve our research goals, we employ in vivo acute and longitudinal two-photon Ca2+ imaging of distinct neuronal brain cell-types in awake mice, operant behavior, chemogenetics, optogenetics, inducible conditional knockout mice, and pharmacological approaches. If you are interested in joining our research team, please contact me at Mak328@Pitt.edu.

Cortical Zinc Signaling Is Necessary for Changes in Mouse Pupil Diameter That Are Evoked by Background Sounds with Different Contrasts Journal of Neuroscience March, 2024 Patrick Cody, Manoj Kumar, Thanos Tzounopoulos Cell-type-specific plasticity of inhibitory interneurons in the rehabilitation of auditory cortex after peripheral damage Nature Communications July, 2023 Manoj Kumar*, Gregory Handy, Stylianos Kouvaros, Yanjun Zhao, Lovisa Ljungqvist Brinson, Eric Wei, Brandon Bizup, Brent Doiron, and Thanos Tzounopoulos* *Corresponding Authors A CRE/DRE dual recombinase transgenic mouse reveals synaptic zinc-mediated thalamocortical neuromodulation Science Advances June, 2023 Stylianos Kouvaros, Brandon Bizup, Oscar Solis, Manoj Kumar, Emilya Ventriglia, Fallon P. Curry, Michael Mich