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How Neuroscientists Get Inside Your Head
In recent decades, neuroscience has revealed fascinating details about how the brain works in health and disease. But how do we know what we know? Circuit Breakers pulls back the curtain on the modern brain research laboratory.
In Circuit Breakers, Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Anna Chambers pulls back the curtain to show us what happens in the modern brain research laboratory. Here, we learn how cutting-edge tools can manipulate memories, make neurons glow in the dark, and record signals at every level, from the whole brain to a single synapse.
Perfect for readers of David Eagleman's Livewired and Robert Sapolsky's Behave, Circuit Breakers weaves down-to-earth explanations of futuristic tools, like human brain implants and laser-controlled neurons, with candid interviews and stories from the author's own often-grueling journey as a researcher.
Through stories of the "science around the science"—all the daily problems a scientist must solve, like accessing a living brain encased in a skull, or coaxing unusual creatures like cuttlefish and bats into behaving naturally in a lab—Chambers invites us into spaces where few of us ever venture. Told with equal parts humor and wonder, the book is deeply committed to inspiring young neuroscientists, improving scientific literacy, and dispelling the many myths about the brain, the ultimate "black box."
"Circuit Breakers invites readers into the laboratory to witness a golden age of brain science in action. With wit, clarity, and firsthand insight, Anna Chambers shows how neuroscientists study biology's ultimate black box: an astonishingly sophisticated system still operating without an instruction manual. From glowing neurons and brain implants to sea slugs, bats, and the stubborn practicalities of studying a living brain inside a skull, this is a captivating guide to how modern science is getting inside our heads."
— Antonio Zadra, PhD, co-author of When Brains Dream"A deeply researched and compelling read, Circuit Breakers provides a window into the black box of the brain, translating the latest neuroscientific techniques into a story of success (and failure) and the hard graft of doing work that changes our world. Anna Chambers brings the lab to life with humor, poignancy, and pop culture—a beautifully written account of how real science really gets done."
— Brandy Schillace, PhD, author of Mr. Humble and Dr. ButcherOccasional notes on the book, publications, and lab news. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
How does the brain adapt when it suddenly loses input from the ear — and what role does sleep play in shaping that process? Using electrophysiological and optical tools to both measure and manipulate neural activity, the lab studies how the cerebral cortex reorganizes after hearing loss, the role of sleep in brain recovery, and the unique role of sound in recruiting arousal. The longer-term goal is to understand how the brain's own mechanisms for regulating its activity throughout daily life might be harnessed to treat brain disorders.
Instructor of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School · Instructor / Investigator, Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Mass Eye & Ear
Anna Chambers earned her PhD in neurobiology at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Daniel Polley, studying how the central auditory system adapts following hearing loss. She went on to postdoctoral fellowships at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the University of Oslo, extending her work to cortical plasticity and the ongoing dynamics of sensory representations. She is now an Instructor and Investigator at the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Mass Eye & Ear, and Harvard Medical School.
Current research is supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and Mass General Neuroscience. Prior support: the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the European Commission, and the Research Council of Norway.
Peer-reviewed publications. See also Google Scholar →
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