HSE Scientists Explain How to Identify Brain Areas Critical for Language Function During Surgery
The HSE Centre for Language and Brain conducted a course on tractography, a method that enables visualisation of key brain connections and helps surgeons avoid damaging language-critical areas during surgery. The course was attended by neurosurgeons and radiologists from Moscow and other Russian regions who are interested in methods of preoperative language mapping.
Tractography is a technique for constructing 3D models of the brain’s pathways using diffusion-weighted MRI data. In the brain’s white matter, water primarily diffuses along nerve fibres, and this directionality can be reconstructed using specialised algorithms. One such method is diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which allows researchers to assess the degree of water molecule diffusion alignment and to map the brain’s white matter tracts.
During the training course, participants not only discussed various theoretical issues related to preoperative and intraoperative mapping of language function and tracts but also gained hands-on experience in manually reconstructing models using the TrackVis software tool, based on pre-processed structural MRI images.
A dedicated lecture focused on linguistic tests for intraoperative mapping, a technique used by clinicians to identify language areas during surgery.
'Localising language function is a critical step in planning surgical interventions for patients with lesions in the language-dominant hemisphere. Experts at the Centre for Language and Brain have accumulated significant experience in preoperative language mapping, which minimises the risk of complications and improves the effectiveness of surgical interventions. We are pleased to share our knowledge and practical recommendations with our surgical colleagues to advance modern neurosurgery and improve the quality of patient care,' said Anna Komissarenko, Junior Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain.
The HSE Centre for Language and Brain has extensive expertise in providing linguistic support for neurosurgical patients. An important focus of the centre’s work is the development of specialised linguistic tests to identify functionally significant language areas during the planning and performance of neurosurgical operations. The centre’s specialists are investigating how the brain’s language function reorganises in cases of tumours and epilepsy, with special emphasis on the role of white matter pathways in supporting language function. The findings are used in both research and clinical practice—during preoperative mapping and intraoperative language monitoring. The practical course generated great interest among participants and served as a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue between neurolinguists and clinicians.
Anastasia Parshunina, neurosurgeon
'During surgery, it is essential to balance the radicality of the operation with the patient’s functional status. When removing a tumour near the language area in a patient with intact language function, it is crucial that the patient retains the ability to speak and understand speech after treatment. Therefore, the ability to reconstruct tracts is essential for preoperative treatment planning and for understanding the relationship between the tumour and functionally significant structures. The course deepened our understanding of anatomical principles and demonstrated the potential of 3D modelling for preoperative planning. We are thankful to the course organisers. During the two-day course, we gained valuable theoretical knowledge and practical skills in reconstructing pathways using the TrackVis software.
The Centre for Language and Brain thanks all course participants and invites everyone to stay updated on upcoming courses and educational programmes.
See also:
A Space for Economic Experimentation: LEEF Organises Workshop for Early-Career Researchers
In early September 2025, the renewed Laboratory for Experimental Economics and Finance (LEEF) held its first workshop for early-career researchers. Its main distinguishing feature was that every presentation was based on the results of laboratory economic experiments. In particular, the speakers discussed what people consider a fair deal, how best to motivate employees, and how genes influence the willingness to cooperate and help others. All interested students and postgraduates were invited to collaborate with the laboratory.
Intellectual Capital in the Face of Shocks: Russia and Iran Explore Internationalisation
In today's issue of Schola, Mariya Molodchik, Senior Research Fellow at the International Laboratory of Intangible-Driven Economy and Professor at the School of Economics and Finance at HSE University’s Campus in Perm, discusses a joint project with Iran University of Science and Technology, titled 'Internationalization of Companies from Developing Countries: The Role of Intellectual Resources in Response to Exogenous Shocks.'
HSE Researchers Introduce Novel Symmetry-Aware Neural Network Architecture
Researchers at the HSE Laboratory for Geometric Algebra and Applications have developed a new neural network architecture that can accelerate and streamline data analysis in physics, biology, and engineering. The scientists presented their solution on July 16 in Vancouver at ICML 2025, one of the world's leading conferences on machine learning. Both the paper and the source code are publicly available.
Students from HSE and Other Universities Carry Out Research Expedition at New Chersonesos
As part of the Rediscovering Russia student expedition programme, HSE University organised a research trip under the framework of the School for Young Humanities Scholars to the New Chersonesos museum and church complex in Sevastopol. The results of this expedition will form the basis for proposals on educational projects aimed at shaping young people’s historical memory of the role of Chersonesos, Crimea, and the Byzantine legacy in the history of Russian culture and statehood.
HSE Researchers Determine Frequency of Genetic Mutations in People with Pulmonary Hypertension
For the first time in Russia, a team of scientists and clinicians has conducted a large-scale genetic study of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The team, which included researchers from the International Laboratory of Bioinformatics at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, analysed the genomes of over a hundred patients and found that approximately one in ten carried pathogenic mutations in the BMPR2 gene, which is responsible for vascular growth. Three of these mutations were described for the first time. The study has been published in Respiratory Research.
First Caucasus School on Experimental Research and Cognitive Sciences Takes Places in Adygea
On September 17–20, 2025, the First Caucasus School on Experimental Research and Cognitive Sciences took place at the Gornaya Legenda venue of Adyghe State University (ASU). The event was organised by the ASU Experimental Linguistics Laboratory, the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, and the HSE Centre for Sociocultural and Ethnolinguistic Studies. The school brought together over 50 participants—students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers from across Russia, along with lecturers and speakers from France, Serbia, China, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
HSE Scientists Reveal How Disrupted Brain Connectivity Affects Cognitive and Social Behaviour in Children with Autism
An international team of scientists, including researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, has for the first time studied the connectivity between the brain's sensorimotor and cognitive control networks in children with autism. Using fMRI data, the researchers found that connections within the cognitive control network (responsible for attention and inhibitory control) are weakened, while connections between this network and the sensorimotor network (responsible for movement and sensory processing) are, by contrast, excessively strong. These features manifest as difficulties in social interaction and behavioural regulation in children. The study has been published in Brain Imaging and Behavior.
Similar Comprehension, Different Reading: How Native Language Affects Reading in English as a Second Language
Researchers from the MECO international project, including experts from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, have developed a tool for analysing data on English text reading by native speakers of more than 19 languages. In a large-scale experiment involving over 1,200 people, researchers recorded participants’ eye movements as they silently read the same English texts and then assessed their level of comprehension. The results showed that even when comprehension levels were the same, the reading process—such as gaze fixations, rereading, and word skipping—varied depending on the reader's native language and their English proficiency. The study has been published in Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
‘The Future Is Not Predetermined—We Shape It with the Decisions We Make Today’
The strategic technological project ‘National Centre of Science, Technology, and Socio-Economic Foresight’ at HSE University spans horizons of 10 to 30 years and involves developing new methodologies of scenario analysis. It brings together researchers from different fields and helps to form a holistic vision of the future. The aim of the project is not only to produce forecasts but also to generate practical recommendations for government and business. Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, explains why it is important to learn to ask the right questions about the future.
Scientists Discover How Correlated Disorder Boosts Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a unique state of matter in which electric current flows without any energy loss. In materials with defects, it typically emerges at very low temperatures and develops in several stages. An international team of scientists, including physicists from HSE MIEM, has demonstrated that when defects within a material are arranged in a specific pattern rather than randomly, superconductivity can occur at a higher temperature and extend throughout the entire material. This discovery could help develop superconductors that operate without the need for extreme cooling. The study has been published in Physical Review B.