Thang M. Le

Bio: Thang M. Le is an academic researcher from Yale University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Craving & Psychology. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 36 publications receiving 263 citations. Previous affiliations of Thang M. Le include Stony Brook University.

A redrawn Vandenverg and Kuse mental rotations test : different versions and factors that affect performance

Abstract: The available versions of the Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) Mental Rotations Test (MRT) have physically deteriorated because only copies of copies are available. We report results from a redrawn version of the MRT and for alternate versions of the test. Males perform better than females, and students drawn from the physical sciences perform better than students drawn from the social sciences and humanities, confirming other reports with the original version of the MRT. Subjects find it very hard to perform the MRT when stimuli require rotation along both the top/bottom axis and the left/right axis. The magnitude of effect sizes for sex (which account, on average, for some 20% of the variance) does not increase with increasing difficulty of the task. Minimal strategy effects were observed and females did not perform differently during the menstrual period as opposed to the days between the menstrual periods. Practice effects are dramatic, confirming other reports with the original MRT, and can also be shown to be powerful in a transfer for practice paradigm, where test and retest involve different versions of the MRT. Main effects of handedness on MRT performance were not found.

The Human Brain

Abstract: THE human brain is the instrument of the high powers of intelligence that distinguish man from all other living creatures. The secret of man's most distinctive attribute is hidden in the texture of his brain, and perhaps will never be fully revealed. Yet from time to time, with the growth of knowledge and the discovery of new methods of approach, we can profitably return to this greatest of all biological problems and get new glimpses of the factors that have made man what he is. Two considerations make the present time appropriate for taking stock of the state of our knowledge of these matters. The emergence of a clearer understanding of the sequence of structural changes in the brain and body of man's ancestors enables us to interpret the physiological factors involved in the widening and deepening of the intellectual powers and to appreciate the conditions essential for the attainment of-such mental growth. In the second place, the new points of view regarding the functions of the cerebral cortex that have emerged from Dr. Henry Head's suggestive clinical investigations prompt one to examine the brain anew and endeavour to integrate the results of his brilliant analysis with those revealed in the study of the evolution of the brain. Whether or not it is yet possible fully to correlate the facts and conclusions of these two disciplines into one coherent body of doctrine, it is well worth while to make the attempt to do so, if for no other reason than to direct attention to new problems that call for solution.

Working Memory From the Psychological and Neurosciences Perspectives: A Review.

Abstract: Since the concept of working memory was introduced over 50 years ago, different schools of thought have offered different definitions for working memory based on the various cognitive domains that it encompasses. The general consensus regarding working memory supports the idea that working memory is extensively involved in goal-directed behaviors in which information must be retained and manipulated to ensure successful task execution. Before the emergence of other competing models, the concept of working memory was described by the multicomponent working memory model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch. In the present article, the authors provide an overview of several working memory-relevant studies in order to harmonize the findings of working memory from the neurosciences and psychological standpoints, especially after citing evidence from past studies of healthy, aging, diseased, and/or lesioned brains. In particular, the theoretical framework behind working memory, in which the related domains that are considered to play a part in different frameworks (such as memory’s capacity limit and temporary storage) are presented and discussed. From the neuroscience perspective, it has been established that working memory activates the fronto-parietal brain regions, including the prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal cortices. Recent studies have subsequently implicated the roles of subcortical regions (such as the midbrain and cerebellum) in working memory. Aging also appears to have modulatory effects on working memory; age interactions with emotion, caffeine and hormones appear to affect working memory performances at the neurobiological level. Moreover, working memory deficits are apparent in older individuals, who are susceptible to cognitive deterioration. Another younger population with working memory impairment consists of those with mental, developmental, and/or neurological disorders such as major depressive disorder and others. A less coherent and organized neural pattern has been consistently reported in these disadvantaged groups. Working memory of patients with traumatic brain injury was similarly affected and shown to have unusual neural activity (hyper- or hypoactivation) as a general observation. Decoding the underlying neural mechanisms of working memory helps support the current theoretical understandings concerning working memory, and at the same time provides insights into rehabilitation programs that target working memory impairments from neurophysiological or psychological aspects.

Dynamic fluctuations in global brain network topology characterize functional states during rest and behavior

Abstract: Higher brain function relies upon the ability to flexibly integrate information across specialized communities of macroscopic brain regions, but it is unclear how this mechanism manifests over time. Here we characterized patterns of time-resolved functional connectivity using resting state and task fMRI data from a large cohort of unrelated subjects. Our results demonstrate that dynamic fluctuations in network structure during the resting state reflect transitions between states of integrated and segregated network topology. These patterns were altered during task performance, demonstrating a higher level of network integration that tracked with the complexity of the task and correlated with effective behavioral performance. Replication analysis demonstrated that these results were reproducible across sessions, sample populations and datasets. Together these results provide insight into the brain's coordination between integration and segregation and highlight key principles underlying the reorganization of the network architecture of the brain during both rest and behavior.