Russian Scientists Investigate Age-Related Differences in Brain Damage Volume Following Childhood Stroke
A team of Russian scientists and clinicians, including Sofya Kulikova from HSE University in Perm, compared the extent and characteristics of brain damage in children who experienced a stroke either within the first four weeks of life or before the age of two. The researchers found that the younger the child, the more extensive the brain damage—particularly in the frontal and parietal lobes, which are responsible for movement, language, and thinking. The study, published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, provides insights into how age can influence the nature and extent of brain lesions and lays the groundwork for developing personalised rehabilitation programmes for children who experience a stroke early in life.
Civic Identity Helps Russians Maintain Mental Health During Sanctions
Researchers at HSE University have found that identifying with one’s country can support psychological coping during difficult times, particularly when individuals reframe the situation or draw on spiritual and cultural values. Reframing in particular can help alleviate symptoms of depression. The study has been published in Journal of Community Psychology.
Scientists Clarify How the Brain Memorises and Recalls Information
An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has demonstrated for the first time that the anterior and posterior portions of the human hippocampus have distinct roles in associative memory. Using stereo-EEG recordings, the researchers found that the rostral (anterior) portion of the human hippocampus is activated during encoding and object recognition, while the caudal (posterior) portion is involved in associative recall, restoring connections between the object and its context. These findings contribute to our understanding of the structure of human memory and may inform clinical practice. A paper with the study findings has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Researchers Examine Student Care Culture in Small Russian Universities
Researchers from the HSE Institute of Education conducted a sociological study at four small, non-selective universities and revealed, based on 135 interviews, the dual nature of student care at such institutions: a combination of genuine support with continuous supervision, reminiscent of parental care. This study offers the first in-depth look at how formal and informal student care practices are intertwined in the post-Soviet educational context. The study has been published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education.
Immune System Error: How Antibodies in Multiple Sclerosis Mistake Their Targets
Researchers at HSE University and the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCh RAS) have studied how the immune system functions in multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the body's own antibodies attack its nerve fibres. By comparing blood samples from MS patients and healthy individuals, scientists have discovered that the immune system in MS patients can mistake viral proteins for those of nerve cells. Several key proteins have also been identified that could serve as new biomarkers for the disease and aid in its diagnosis. The study has been published in Frontiers in Immunology. The research was conducted with support from the Russian Science Foundation.
HSE Scientists Test New Method to Investigate Mechanisms of New Word Acquisition
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain were among the first to use transcranial alternating current stimulation to investigate whether it can influence the acquisition of new words. Although the authors of the experiment have not yet found a link between brain stimulation and word acquisition, they believe that adjusting the stimulation parameters may yield different results in the future. The study has been published in Language, Cognition and Neuroscience.
Researchers from HSE University in Perm Teach AI to Analyse Figure Skating
Researchers from HSE University in Perm have developed NeuroSkate, a neural network that identifies the movements of skaters on video and determines the correctness of the elements performed. The algorithm has already demonstrated success with the basic elements, and further development of the model will improve its accuracy in identifying complex jumps.
AI Predicts Behaviour of Quantum Systems
Scientists from HSE University, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Southern California, have developed an algorithm that rapidly and accurately predicts the behaviour of quantum systems, from quantum computers to solar panels. This methodology enabled the simulation of processes in the MoS₂ semiconductor and revealed that the movement of charged particles is influenced not only by the number of defects but also by their location. These defects can either slow down or accelerate charge transport, leading to effects that were previously difficult to account for with standard methods. The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Electrical Brain Stimulation Helps Memorise New Words
A team of researchers at HSE University, in collaboration with scientists from Russian and foreign universities, has investigated the impact of electrical brain stimulation on learning new words. The experiment shows that direct current stimulation of language centres—Broca's and Wernicke's areas—can improve and speed up the memorisation of new words. The findings have been published in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.
Artificial Intelligence Improves Risk Prediction of Complex Diseases
Neural network models developed at the HSE AI Research Centre have significantly improved the prediction of risks for obesity, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, and other complex diseases. A joint study with Genotek Ltd showed that deep learning algorithms outperform traditional methods, particularly in cases involving complex gene interactions (epistasis). The findings have been published in Frontiers in Medicine.