The Performance Cortex by Zach Schonbrun

Interested in how Neuroscience is redefining athletic genius?  That’s the subtitle of a new book, THE PERFORMANCE CORTEX, by Zach Schonbrun and it is filled with surprising findings and profiles of those involved in this relatively new field.  Parts of this book describe the work of deCervo’s Jason and Jordan, two neuroscientists who are (in the spirit of big data’s Moneyball) experimenting with measuring and predicting the hitting ability of baseball candidates. 

This book is full of minutiae (“the typical batter will begin his swing at 19 feet”) and scientific jargon, mixed entertainingly with anecdotes (Yogi Berra saying, “How can you think and hit at the same time?”) and observations about a tradition bound sport (one where managers still “make calls to the bullpen using a landline phone”). Other chapters deal with topics like theories from Daniel Wolpert (“The Real Reason for Brains”), Johns Hopkins University's John Krakauer commenting on basketball's Stephen Curry, and numerous applications related to robotics.   

THE PERFORMANCE CORTEX is not a quick read, but I do think students interested in sports and science, especially if they are working on a Junior Theme, will benefit from having a look.