[1] An interview conducted by Anna Azvolinsky from The Scientist reported Buonomano's recollection of his childhood exploration in science stating, "One of my initial interests in neurobiology was a result of my big-brother experience, of witnessing a young brain develop.
Buonomano's first published work was done with the help of Jack Byrne in 1990 "demonstrating that the synaptic plasticity of the pleural ganglion can be long-lived, lasting up to 24 hours.
"[1] Buonomano then went on to join the University of California, San Francisco as a postdoctoral fellow working with Beverly Wright in Michael Merzenich's lab.
As the proposed mission statement posted on Buonomano Lab's mainpage states, "The primary goal of my laboratory is to understand how functional computations emerge from networks of neurons".
He developed the influential theory that the brain tells time and processes temporal information not through an internal clock as scientists worldwide had previously theorized, but instead as a result of neural dynamics.
Brain Bugs has been widely reviewed in popular press such as Newsweek, Discover Magazine, Scientific American, The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Fresh Air (National Public Radio (NPR)).
[10] Buonomano was interviewed on the NPR talk show Fresh Air[11] and participated in a dialogue about Brain Bugs at the Rubin Museum of Art with performance artist Laurie Anderson.
Buonomano points out glitches of the human brain such as our inability for mental long division or larger multiplication and our unreliable memory, especially in times of crises.
Summarizing his work's relevancy, Buonomano states, "ultimately, who we are as individuals and as a society is defined not only by the astonishing capabilities of the brain but also by its flaws and limitations.