101 Theory Drive

February 8, 2010
Memory takes on a physical presence in this raucous scientific saga. Former L.A. Times
reporter McDermott (Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers
) profiles UC-Irvine “psychobiologist” Gary Lynch and his decades-long effort to understand the biochemical processes and structural changes in neurons that underlie memory. (His research has identified drugs that could stem memory loss and treat Alzheimer’s and ADHD.) In McDermott’s portrayal, Lynch comes off as a hippie-ish, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed visionary at odds with the neuroscientific establishment, who both inspires and exploits the students and post-docs under his sway. McDermott is a bit too taken with his charismatic protagonist,and loves to quote Lynch’s profane, inarticulate ramblings for pages on end (“Memory’s continuous. You walk through the day. Da duh da duh da dah”). Fortunately, his own exposition of the science is lucid, and his first-hand account of Lynch’s seething laboratory is riveting, full of prickly egos, desperate battles for grants, and epic experiments—Lynch’s students spent years slicing up and photographing thousands of rat brains—that become daily roller-coasters of triumph and despair as results trickle in.This is an engrossing story of science and the brilliant, flawed people who make it. Photos.

January 1, 2010
Former Los Angeles Times national reporter McDermott (Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It, 2006) tells the story of the driven neuroscientist Gary Lynch and his ongoing quest to discover the biochemical workings of memory.

Scientists have long been searching for the explanation of how memories are produced in the human brain and how they are stored and recalled. As McDermott explains in 101 Theory Drive—named after the street address of Lynch's lab—Lynch has obsessively been trying to answer those complex questions for decades. With a chemist, he has also been working on drugs called ampakines, which could theoretically help improve memory function and restore the brain's cognitive abilities—a potential boon for sufferers of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. Starting in late 2004, McDermott spent nearly two years observing the work in the scientist's lab. He chronicles the progress of Lynch's research and provides an engaging portrait of the colorful but not-always-likable Lynch. The author ably explains highly technical concepts of neurology and breaks down complicated ideas in ways that general readers can easily understand. He's equally at home describing the obsessive Lynch, who is portrayed as ambitious, brilliant and conversant on a dizzying array of subjects, but also impatient, full of self-regard and tough on his staff. The book opens with Lynch alone in his lab, annoyed that the rest of his team dared take a break between Christmas and New Year's Day. McDermott also pays attention to key members of Lynch's staff, such as neurophysiologist Eniko Kramar, whose workaholic devotion to Lynch's work is described by her friends as"just short of self-destructive."

A stirring account of how important scientific research gets done.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2010
From as far back as ancient Greece, anatomy enthusiasts have been peering inside the human skull to discover where memories live. Yet, despite the development of advanced brain scanners and dissection methods, scientists have been repeatedly frustrated in finding any concrete neurological changes when people acquire new information. Now, as McDermott recounts in his revealing look at the work of maverick scientist Gary Lynch, this holy grail of brain research may have finally been discovered. McDermott steps inside Lynchs laboratory at 101 Theory Drive in Irvine, California, for a peek at Lynchs groundbreaking ideas and eccentric, often sharp-tongued personality. McDermott balances a lay-friendly discussion about exotic brain chemicals and Lynchs long-term potentiation theory (LTP) of memory, and a riveting portrait of Lynch as hard-driving taskmaster to his lab technicians and iconoclast to his neuroscientist peers. Showing considerable narrative skill and more than a dollop of wit, McDermotts work ultimately looks past Lynchs oversized ego and shows how one brilliant scientists discoveries may someday conquer dementia and Alzheimers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)