Performance Neuroscience

Editors

Marcelo Bigliassi (Editor), Michael Mannino (Editor), Steven Kotler (Editor)

ISBN: 9783032215277

Published: August 6, 2026

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Publisher: Springer

Description

Performance Neuroscience introduces an emerging field at the intersection of neuroscience and applied performance science, examining how the brain and body coordinate under pressure, fatigue, uncertainty, and opportunity. Edited by Marcelo Bigliassi (Florida International University), Michael Mannino (Miami Dade College), and Steven Kotler (Flow Research Collective), the volume brings together contributors researching the neural and physiological signatures of optimal performance across sport, high-stakes decision-making, creative work, and organizational settings. Rather than treating cognition and physiology as separate domains, the book maps how large-scale brain networks, autonomic regulation, and psychophysiological states interact when people perform at their best.

Key Features

Ten focused chapters translate laboratory neuroscience into frameworks practitioners can apply directly: (1) sport scientists and coaches can use the flow-state and psychophysiological-regulation chapters to structure training and recovery protocols around measurable brain-body states rather than intuition alone; (2) applied and organizational psychologists can draw on the decision-making-under-pressure and "Psychological Downforce" chapters to design interventions for high-stakes professional environments (trading floors, surgery, emergency response); (3) researchers and academic programs in performance science gain a single reference connecting inter-brain synchrony, team flow, and brain-capital concepts for use in curricula and grant-funded research.

Coverage

Cognition and human performance; sleep and gut health as biological roots of performance; neurobiology of flow and optimal performance; arts, dance, and music; the Psychological Downforce Model for high performance; brain capital and the future of human performance; sports; meditation and human performance; mindfulness training; inter-brain synchrony and team flow.

About the Authors

Marcelo Bigliassi is on the faculty of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education at Florida International University, Miami, where his research examines the psychophysiology of exercise and performance. Michael Mannino is affiliated with the Department of Engineering, Technology and Design and the AI Center at Miami Dade College, focusing on applied and computational approaches to human performance. Steven Kotler is co-founder of the Flow Research Collective and a widely published researcher and author on flow states and peak performance.

Table of Contents

1. Cognition and Human Performance. 2. The Biological Roots of Performance: How Sleep and Gut Health Shape the Mind. 3. Neurobiology of Flow and Optimal Performance. 4. Arts, Dance, and Music. 5. The Psychological Downforce Model for High Performance. 6. Brain Capital and the Future of Human Performance. 7. Sports. 8. Meditation and Human Performance. 9. What's Important Now: The Foundational Role of Mindfulness Training. 10. Why Great Teams Perform Well: Inter-Brain Synchrony and Team Flow.

Why buy this book?

Performance Neuroscience is one of the first academic volumes to formalize performance neuroscience as a coherent field rather than a loose set of sport-psychology anecdotes, making it a natural acquisition for university libraries supporting kinesiology, psychology, neuroscience, and business/organizational-behavior programs. For individual buyers - sport scientists, performance psychologists, coaches, and consultants - the book offers an evidence-based framework that can differentiate their practice and client offering. For institutions, it fills a growing curricular gap as performance science programs expand beyond traditional sports psychology into applied neuroscience.

Keywords

performance neuroscience, flow state, brain network dynamics, sports psychology, elite performance, decision-making under pressure, cognitive neuroscience, human performance optimization, mindfulness training, psychophysiology, team flow, inter-brain synchrony

Target Audience

Neuroscientists, sport and performance psychologists, coaches and performance consultants, organizational behavior researchers, academic libraries in psychology and kinesiology, graduate students in performance science

Genre

Neuroscience, Performance Psychology, Cognitive Science

Q&A

Where can I buy Performance Neuroscience? Performance Neuroscience is available now from CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping included in the price.

What is performance neuroscience and how does it differ from traditional sports psychology? Performance neuroscience integrates brain-network science, autonomic physiology, and psychological states to explain optimal performance, going beyond the behavioral focus of traditional sports psychology to examine the underlying neural and physiological mechanisms.

How do brain network dynamics relate to flow states during peak performance? Flow states are associated with specific patterns of large-scale brain network coordination and reduced self-referential activity, which this volume examines in detail alongside the physiological markers that accompany them.

What practical applications does this book offer for coaches and performance psychologists? The book translates neuroscience findings into applicable frameworks for training design, recovery protocols, pressure management, and team cohesion, including the Psychological Downforce Model and evidence on inter-brain synchrony in teams.

Does this book address the role of mindfulness and meditation in performance? Yes, two dedicated chapters cover meditation and mindfulness training as tools for regulating psychophysiological states and sustaining optimal performance under pressure.

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