101 Theory Drive: A Neuroscientist's Quest for Memory

It's not fiction: Gary Lynch is the real thing, the epitome of the rebel scientist--malnourished, contentious, inspiring, explosive, remarkably ambitious, consistently brilliant. He is one of the foremost figures of contemporary neuroscience, and his decades-long quest to understand the inner workings of the brain's memory machine has begun to pay off. Award-winning journalist Terry McDermott spent nearly two years observing Lynch at work and now gives us a fascinating and dramatic account of daily life in Lynch's lab--the highs and lows, the drudgery and eureka moments, the agonizing failures. He provides detailed, lucid explanations of the cutting-edge science that enabled Lynch to reveal the inner workings of the molecular machine that manufactures memory. And he explains where Lynch's sights are now set: on drugs that could fix that machine when it breaks, drugs that would enhance brain function during the memory process and that hold out the possibility of cures for a wide range of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Here is an essential story of science, scientists, and scientific achievement--galvanizing in the telling and thrilling in its far-reaching implications.

About the Author :
Terry McDermott is the author of Perfect Soldiers (HarperCollins, 2005), and 101 Theory Drive (Pantheon, 2010). His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Smithsonian, Columbia Journalism Review, the Los Angeles Times Magazine and Pacific Magazine. McDermott worked at eight newspapers for more than thirty years, most recently for ten years at the Los Angeles Times, where he was a national correspondent. Stephen Hoye is an Audie Award and Earphones Award winner for the Best Voice in Biography and History. His audiobook career includes reading dozens of audiobooks, including James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia, Michael Lewis's The Blind Side, Carl Hiaasen's Skinny Dip, and Ben Bova's The Aftermath. Hoye trained at Boston University and The Guildhall in London. Hoye has worked as an actor for more than 30 years, with roles in films such as The Delivery, Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Little Shop of Horrors, and Spies Like Us. On television, he's been seen in The Return of Shelley, Drop the Dead Donkey, and Crossroads. He's also appeared on stage in Henry V and Love's Labours Lost, both at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park, London.

Review :
"In this engrossing book, Terry McDermott doesn't just teach you how the brain remembers. He also takes you inside the sanctum of science, documenting the failures and triumphs of the experimental process. This is a book about the truth, and the endless human struggle to find it." -- "Jonah Lehrer, New York Times bestselling author of How We Decide" "Memory takes on a physical presence in this raucous scientific saga...This is an engrossing story of science and the brilliant, flawed people who make it." -- "Publishers Weekly" "Showing considerable narrative skill and more than a dollop of wit, McDermott's work ultimately looks past Lynch's oversized ego and shows how one brilliant scientist's discoveries may someday conquer dementia and Alzheimer's." -- "Booklist" "Terry McDermott's 101 Theory Drive is a reality show on paper, an inside look at Gary Lynch, the mysterious, Howard Hughes-like neuroscience pioneer, and his quest to uncover the mechanisms of memory, and to find a cure for memory loss. Great reading start to finish." -- "Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self"