HSE University Center for Language and Brain Becomes World Leader in Just 10 Years
How can a small Russian research group become a world-famous scientific centre in less than a decade? A special edition of the Frontiers in Psychology journal devoted to increasing public awareness of neuroscience features an article about the HSE University Center for Language and Brain, including the successes and challenges of its early years.
Russia’s linguistic and neuropsychology schools have trained numerous famous figures in their respective fields. However, in the 21st century, only a small number of research groups in Russia have looked into areas that combine the two: psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics. Less than a decade ago, a small group of researchers led by Olga Dragoy began working in these fields. In the short time since, the group has grown into the HSE University Center for Language and Brain—a major scientific institution.
In the Frontiers in Psychology article, the Center’s staff share their experiences and turn a critical eye on their successes and failures. One notable example was the project to create the Russian Aphasia Test. The researchers now admit that their initial idea was too ambitious, and that young research groups are better off focusing on smaller-scale research that requires fewer resources. At the same time, the creation of the test is one example of the successful combination of research and clinical practice.
In addition to their research, the Centre’s staff also discuss their educational activities—such as assigning annual term papers to students. While a standard practice in Russia, it is less common in other countries. Term papers give junior students an opportunity to conduct research and gain experience before enrolling in doctoral programmes—experience that students in many other countries lack
Olga Dragoy, Director of the Center for Language and Brain
‘Flexibility in your research interests at the start of your academic career can pay off. If an opportunity presents itself to work on a topic that you weren’t originally interested in, give it a go anyway—it may end up having long-term potential and becoming something you love.'
The article shares experience and recommendations to help young research groups in Russia and abroad, inspire them, and offer guidance in decision-making and setting priorities when creating similar research centres.
According to Svetlana Malyutina, Senior Research Fellow of the Center for Language and Brain, ‘One of the best investments a young research group can make is to recruit and communicate with students. Sure, it takes up precious time and effort, but it pays off in the end—talented students are the driving force behind countless projects.’
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HSE Researchers Can Now Measure Individual Decision-making Time
HSE researchers have developed an algorithm for estimating individual response preparation period duration. Their approach can help diagnose disruptions in decision-making and motor functions associated with certain diseases. The study findings are published in PLoS ONE. The research was financed by a megagrant from the Russian government as part of the 'Science and Universities' National Project.
Neural Prosthesis Uses Brain Activity to Decode Speech
Researchers from HSE University and the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry have developed a machine learning model that can predict the word about to be uttered by a subject based on their neural activity recorded with a small set of minimally invasive electrodes. The paper 'Speech decoding from a small set of spatially segregated minimally invasive intracranial EEG electrodes with a compact and interpretable neural network' has been published in the Journal of Neural Engineering. The research was financed by a grant from the Russian Government as part of the 'Science and Universities' National Project.
Corpus Callosum Found to Switch Off Right Hemisphere During Speech
A study by the HSE Centre for Language and Brain has confirmed the role of the corpus callosum in language lateralisation, ie the distribution of language processing functions between the brain's hemispheres. The authors came up with an innovative language task for their study subjects and applied advanced neuroimaging methods to the data collected. A paper on their findings has been published in PLoS ONE. The research was financed by a grant from the Russian government as part of the 'Science and Universities' National Project.
Ketamine Found to Increase Brain Noise
An international team of researchers including Sofya Kulikova, Senior Research Fellow at the HSE University-Perm, found that ketamine, being an NMDA receptor inhibitor, increases the brain's background noise, causing higher entropy of incoming sensory signals and disrupting their transmission between the thalamus and the cortex. This finding may contribute to a better understanding of the causes of psychosis in schizophrenia. An article with the study’s findings has been published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.
Speech Register Switching Causes Brain to Struggle with Comprehension
According to researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, processing a word which is markedly different in style from the rest of the sentence uses the same brain mechanisms as making sense of a semantically incongruent word. These mechanisms reflect the brain’s efforts to process an unexpected term. The study findings have been published in the Journal of Neurolinguistics. The research was financed by a grant from the Russian Government as part of the 'Science and Universities' National Project.
Only Left Hemisphere Involved in Action Naming
An international team including researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain and the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have demonstrated the critical role of the left, but not the right, inferior frontal gyrus in action naming. The study findings are published in Brain Structure and Function.
Machine Learning Predicts Epileptogenic Activity from High-Frequency Oscillation Rates
In an innovative study, researchers from HSE University, RAN Institute of Linguistics, and the National Medical and Surgical Centre named after N.I. Pirogov measured and analysed high-frequency oscillations (HFO) in different regions of the brain. An automated detector predicted seizure outcomes based on HFO rates with an accuracy rate of 85%, and by applying machine learning, made it possible to distinguish between epileptogenic and non-epileptogenic HFO. The study’s findings are published in Frontiers in Human Neurosciences.
HSE Researchers Caused People to Behave Less Rationally by Suppressing Activity in Specific Parts of the Brain
Researchers at the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have shown experimentally that magnetic stimulation of the prefrontal cortex of the brain causes test subjects to act less rationally, changing how they assess possible outcomes at the moment they make risky decisions. The scientists believe that the discovery will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that give rise to gaming addiction. The results of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Brain Found to Simultaneously Process Linguistic and Extralinguistic Information
An international team of scientists from the UK, Spain, Denmark and Russia (including researchers from the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience) conducted an experiment demonstrating that people automatically integrate extralinguistic information into grammatical processing during verbal communication. The study findings were published in the Scientific Reports Journal.
Early-Career HSE Researchers to Attend Neuroscience School
Two of the winners, Konstantin Sorokin, doctoral student and visiting lecturer of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science and research assistant at the HSE International Laboratory of Algebraic Topology and its Applications, and Daria Kleeva, doctoral student of the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences and research assistant at the HSE Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces, spoke to the HSE News Service about why attending the School matters so much for them.