News

Scientists have discovered significant structural differences in the brain's pathways, tracts, and thalamus between children with autism and their neurotypical peers, despite finding no functional differences. The most significant alterations were found in the pathways connecting the thalamus—the brain's sensory information processing centre—to the temporal lobe. Moreover, the severity of these alterations positively correlated with the intensity of the child's autistic traits. The study findings have been published in Behavioural Brain Research.

Earnings inequality in Russia has nearly halved over the past 25 years. The primary factors driving this trend are rising minimum wages, regional economic convergence, and shifts in the returns on education. Since 2019, a new phase of this process has been observed, with inequality continuing to decline but driven by entirely different mechanisms. These are the findings made by Anna Lukyanova, Assistant Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, in her new study. The results have been published in the Journal of the New Economic Association.

Evelina Bordiian, from Transnistria, is in her third year of the ‘Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication’ bachelor’s programme at HSE University. In her interview with the HSE News Service, she talks about her path to the university, whether her expectations were met, and her life as an international student in Moscow, which includes walking in the park and playing football.

Egor Churaev specialises in neural networks. In an interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, he talked about his program for determining the emotions and engagement of online conference participants, his trip to Brazil, and his sports hobbies.

On March 2, 2025, HSE University welcomed over 7,000 visitors to Pokrovka, where all campuses and faculties were represented alongside the Admissions Office, pre-university preparation projects, partners, and student organisations. This was part of a traditional, large-scale university event—the university-wide Open Day for prospective undergraduate and specialist degree students.

The final stage of the first Russian Olympiad on Industrial Development, PROD, hosted by the Central University, T-Bank, and HSE University, has concluded in Moscow. More than 4,000 students from Russia and 22 other countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Canada, China, Belarus, and Peru, took part.

Specialists at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed an application for diagnosing language disorders (aphasia), which can result from head injuries, strokes, or other neurological conditions. AutoRAT is the first standardised digital tool in Russia for assessing the presence and severity of language disorders. The application is available on RuStore and can be used on mobile and tablet devices running the Android operating system.

On March 16, the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre will hold the fifth CIBA—an annual educational conference devoted to creative industries. The event is organised by curators and students of HSE University-St Petersburg together with representatives of the New Stage. This year's topic is trend watching, as symbolised by Tetris—reflecting the need to adapt quickly and think ahead in the industry. Entry to the event is free, but advance registration is required.