University of Missouri-Columbia · BiologyBrain Response and Hypoxia Lab
Kevin James Cummings · Columbia, Missouri
Research Focus
Dr. Kevin Cummings's lab studies how the brain processes and responds to critical conditions like hypoxia, which is low oxygen levels. His team examines how certain brain circuits can affect heart rate and blood pressure recovery in infants and adults, particularly related to areas affected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sleep apnea. Through a combination of rodent studies and human tissue analyses, they aim to uncover new insights that might lead to better prevention strategies for these serious health issues.
Sudden Infant Death SyndromeSIDShypoxiaserotoninbrainstem-cerebellar circuitobstructive sleep apneahypertensionneural circuitscardiovascular response
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of the serotonergic brainstem-cerebellar circuit in cardiovascular recovery during hypoxia in infant rats.
AIM 02Examine how chronic intermittent hypoxia affects the autonomic nervous system and leads to hypertension.
AIM 03 Identify serotonergic receptor expression changes in brain tissues from SIDS infants compared to controls.
AIM 04Assess the impact of orexin-CRH neural circuits on cardiovascular responses following hypoxia.
AIM 05Evaluate sex differences in maladaptive cardiovascular patterns related to chronic intermittent hypoxia.
Skills the Lab Values
DREADD techniquespharmacological interventionrodent behavioral studiespathological tissue examinationserotonin receptor analysiscardiovascular physiology assessmentsneuroanatomy techniquesdata analysis using statistical softwareintegrative physiological modeling
Output against the department
Publications85bottom 27% of dept.750th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.3kbottom 8% of dept.953rd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
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