101 Theory Drive is the story of Dr. Gary S. Lynch’s work in his quest for understanding the mechanism of memory in the brain. In his quest, he uncovers mechanisms for remembering, and for not remembering, and uncovers a mechanism leading to a theory for consciousness. The title refers to the address of his lab, in a business park across from the University of California at Irvine.
The book does a good job of describing the history of the work, the people involved, and building a character for Dr. Lynch. There is a lot of technical detail presented and the mechanisms uncovered are understandable if you can follow the physiology. There are only three (or four?) diagrams charting elements of neurons and their parts and a glossary of terms. The most difficult part of the book is understanding the details so as to understand the research. I tired of referring back to the images, and suspect the details won’t be retained long.
Much of the story feels like a science book, there isn’t a lot to keep the reader excited or involved. But for its 260+ pages, it was a relatively fast read.
The book does have good information, but it would help to know something about neuron details before starting. I suspect there is a better book out there somewhere.