Language Mapping in the Operating Room: HSE Neurolinguists Assist Surgeons in Complex Brain Surgery
Researchers from the HSE Center for Language and Brain took part in brain surgery on a patient who had been seriously wounded in the SMO. A shell fragment approximately five centimetres long entered through the eye socket, penetrated the cranial cavity, and became lodged in the brain, piercing the temporal lobe responsible for language. Surgeons at the Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital removed the foreign object while the patient remained conscious. During the operation, neurolinguists conducted language tests to ensure that language function was preserved.
Researchers from the HSE Center for Language and Brain, Maria Protopova (Prokopyeva) and Irina Provlotskaya, worked in the operating room as part of a multidisciplinary team and administered standardised language tasks during direct cortical stimulation. During the operation, the patient was asked to name objects shown in pictures and to repeat pseudowords. These tasks help identify brain regions that are critically important for language and allow clinicians to detect in a timely manner any changes that may occur during the intervention.
Research Assistant, Center for Language and Brain
'If a patient begins to make errors while performing language tasks, this may indicate that the stimulation is affecting areas critical for language. Once these areas are identified, surgeons avoid them during subsequent stages of the operation.'
In this case, the procedure differed in that the patient remained conscious throughout the entire intervention, including the stage of opening the skull. More commonly, during such operations, the patient is kept under anaesthesia until cortical stimulation and language testing begin, after which they are placed back under anaesthesia.
Junior Research Fellow, Center for Language and Brain
'The language testing procedure was generally structured in the same way as in standard awake surgeries, such as the removal of an epileptic lesion or a mass, but in this case it was particularly important to monitor language continuously. We used object-naming tasks during cortical stimulation to identify language-related areas so that surgeons could bypass them during resection. Pseudoword repetition was used directly during the removal of the foreign body to ensure timely detection of any language impairments that might arise while manipulating tissue near the language pathways.'
The HSE Center for Language and Brain has been developing a clinical focus and actively collaborating with leading hospitals and medical centres in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and other cities in Russia, as well as abroad. This collaboration helps introduce modern neurolinguistic methods into clinical practice, increasing the safety of neurosurgical interventions and improving the precision with which functionally significant brain areas are preserved.
Director, Center for Language and Brain
'Tests developed by the centre’s specialists for intraoperative language mapping—including object and action naming from pictures and other standardised language tasks—have been successfully used in awake surgeries for nearly 10 years. It is essential for us that these techniques function not only as research tools but also as clinical standards, effectively applied in neurosurgical practice.'
See also:
HSE Researchers Compile Scientific Database for Studying Children’s Eating Habits
The database created at HSE University can serve as a foundation for studying children’s eating habits. This is outlined in the study ‘The Influence of Age, Gender, and Social-Role Factors on Children’s Compliance with Age-Based Nutritional Norms: An Experimental Study Using the Dish-I-Wish Web Application.’ The work has been carried out as part of the HSE Basic Research Programme and was presented at the XXVI April International Academic Conference named after Evgeny Yasin.
New Foresight Centre Study Identifies the Most Destructive Global Trends for Humankind
A team of researchers from the HSE International Research and Educational Foresight Centre has examined how global trends affect the quality of human life—from life expectancy to professional fulfilment. The findings of the study titled ‘Human Capital Transformation under the Influence of Global Trends’ were published in Foresight.
Scientists Develop Algorithm for Accurate Financial Time Series Forecasting
Researchers at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science benchmarked more than 200,000 model configurations for predicting financial asset prices and realised volatility, showing that performance can be improved by filtering out noise at specific frequencies in advance. This technique increased accuracy in 65% of cases. The authors also developed their own algorithm, which achieves accuracy comparable to that of the best models while requiring less computational power. The study has been published in Applied Soft Computing.
HSE and Yandex Propose Method to Speed Up Neural Networks for Image Generation
A team of scientists at HSE FCS and Yandex Research has proposed a method that reduces computational costs and accelerates text-to-image generation in diffusion models without compromising quality. These models currently set the standard for text-to-image generation, but their use is limited by high computational loads, the company said in a statement.
HSE Scientists Identify Effective Models for Training Research Personnel for Industry
Experts from the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge have examined industrial PhD programmes across 19 countries worldwide. The analysis shows that the key components of an effective model include co-funding by universities, industry, and government; dual academic supervision; and flexible intellectual property arrangements. The findings have been published in Foresight and STI Governance.
HSE Biologists Identify Factors That Accelerate Breast Cancer Recurrence
Scientists at HSE University have identified a molecular mechanism underlying aggressive breast cancer. They found that the signals supporting tumour growth originate not from the tumour itself but from its microenvironment. The researchers also demonstrated that reduced levels of the IGFBP6 protein in the tumour microenvironment lead to the accumulation of macrophages—immune cells associated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence. These findings already make it possible to assess patient risk more accurately and may, in the future, enable the development of drugs that target cells of the tumour microenvironment. The study has been published in Current Drug Therapy.
HSE University and Moscow DIT Partner to Advance 5G and 6G Networks
The Moscow Department of Information Technology and HSE University have signed a cooperation agreement in the field of innovative development of the capital’s IT infrastructure. The parties agreed on joint research into modern and promising communication technologies, including 5G and 6G, as well as AI, the Internet of Things, and other smart city technologies.
HSE University Presents Research Results at AI Conference in Oman
In April 2026, the International Conference on Intelligent Systems and Artificial Intelligence Applications (ISAA 2026) was held at the University of Nizwa in the Sultanate of Oman. The event was co-organised by HSE University, the University of Nizwa, and the University of Technology and Applied Sciences–Ibri. Researchers from HSE University were among the key speakers at the conference.
Russian Scientists Propose Method to Speed Up Microwave Filter Design
Researchers at HSE MIEM, in collaboration with colleagues from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI), have implemented a novel approach to designing microwave filters—generative synthesis using machine learning tools. The proposed method reduces the filter development cycle from several days to just a few minutes and in the future could be applied to the design of other microwave electronic devices. The results were presented at the IEEE International Conference '2026 Systems of Signals Generating and Processing in the Field of on Board Communications.'
Scientists Find That Only Technological Innovations Consistently Advance Environmental Sustainability
Renewable energy and labour productivity do not always contribute to environmental sustainability. Technological innovation is the only factor that consistently has a positive effect. This is the conclusion reached by an international team of researchers, including Natalia Veselitskaya, Leading Research Fellow at the HSE ISSEK Foresight Centre. The study has been published in Sustainable Development.