HSE Researchers Experimentally Demonstrate Positive Effects of Urban Parks on the Brain
Scientists at HSE University have investigated the effect of parks on the cognitive and emotional resources of city dwellers. The researchers compared brain electrical activity in 30 participants while they watched videos of walks through parks and along busy highways. The results showed that green urban environments with trees produce a consistent effect across individuals, helping the brain calm down and relax. By contrast, walks along busy streets were found to be distracting. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.
The more greenery people are surrounded by, the better they tend to feel. Previous studies have shown that adding just ten more trees to a city neighbourhood can make residents feel several years younger. However, scientists continue to investigate the underlying reasons for the positive effects of green urban environments.
Researchers at the HSE International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology have examined the impact of green urban spaces on human cognitive resources. For the first time in this type of study, electroencephalography (EEG) was combined with inter-subject correlation analysis, enabling comparison of EEG data across participants and the identification of brain-to-brain synchrony—that is, shared patterns of neural activity observed while participants watched a long video of a city walk.
The researchers recorded videos of walks along highways, boulevards, and through city parks in various districts of Moscow and St Petersburg. Thirty volunteers then watched these videos while their brain activity was recorded using EEG. The researchers compared participants’ neural responses to walks through parks and along busy highways. When the participants were similarly engaged with the scenes, their brain activity exhibited common patterns.
The results revealed that participants’ brains responded in a similar way to walks in parks, with synchrony observed in the delta frequency band—the slowest brain-wave rhythm. Delta activity is associated with the brain’s oldest structures and indicates relaxation, restoration, and a restful state.
During video walks along busy highways, the opposite effect was observed. The researchers found little to no synchrony in participants’ brain electrical activity, reflecting constant distraction and attentional overload.
Vasily Klucharev
'This result was unexpected for us. We had assumed that people would "read" the city like a book, paying attention to the same details—such as signs, landscapes, and buildings. However, it turned out that attention in urban streets is more likely to be scattered, with no universal pattern of environmental perception, as the city distracts each individual in a different way,' explains Vasily Klucharev, Head of the International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology at HSE University.
The study highlights the importance of planting more trees in cities and of creating, preserving, and expanding green spaces, including parks and urban forests, in megacities.
Nadezhda Kerimova
'Large green spaces—such as urban parks and forest parks—can trigger universal cognitive processes in the brain associated with motivation and positive emotions,' comments Nadezhda Kerimova, Head of Neurourbanism Research at the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience.
The authors of the article are the first in Russia to launch a series of studies in neurourbanism aimed at exploring how urban environments influence the brain.
'We want not only to live a long life but also to maintain a sound mind and body, which requires special therapeutic qualities in the urban environment that help the brain recover from constant stress,' says Vasily Klucharev.
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HSE Researchers Create New Corpus of Early Child Speech in Russian
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have presented RusLan-M, an open multimedia corpus that makes it possible to trace the development of early child speech in Russian from first words to the emergence of complex grammatical constructions. The database contains around 41 hours of video recordings and more than 35,000 child utterances. The new resource will help researchers study more precisely how children acquire Russian and, in the longer term, develop more reliable tools for assessing speech development. The study has been published in Language Resources and Evaluation.
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Artificial intelligence is not creating new professions, but rather transforming the nature of existing ones. This was the conclusion reached by participants in the panel session ‘Hybrid Intelligence: Digital and Human Drivers of Development,’ organised by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) at HSE University as part of the 13th International Forum of Technological Development (Technoprom-2026). The experts discussed how the nature of work is changing, which skills are becoming increasingly sought after, and what prevents companies from fully capitalising on new technologies.
Scientists Develop New Solution for 6G Communication Systems
A terahertz neuromorphic circuit developed by scientists at HSE University could make 6G communication systems both more accurate and energy-efficient. The circuit enables indoor tracking of mobile devices with an accuracy of up to 99%. The results were presented at PIERS 2026, an international symposium on Photonics and Electromagnetism held in China.
Scientists Develop Algorithm for More Reliable Processors in Data Centres
Researchers from HSE MIEM and Samara University have developed the LRF-3D algorithm to automatically bypass idle nodes in three-dimensional networks-on-chip. Thanks to its hierarchical architecture, the algorithm outperforms existing solutions in both speed and path accuracy, improving processor reliability for use in data centres, supercomputers, and AI computing. The source code and test results are publicly available.
Researchers Rank Recommendation Algorithms Using Sports Tournament Model
Researchers from the AI and Digital Science Institute at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science have developed an approach for selecting recommendation algorithms more effectively. Their approach uses pairwise comparisons of algorithms to create a tournament table, with the overall ranking based on their performance across all datasets in the tournament. This can reduce the number of algorithms that need to be tested when developing new services, saving both time and money. The study was presented at the 32nd ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD 2026).
Researchers Develop Method for Direct Generation of Regulatory DNA
Researchers at HSE University have developed a model for generating promoters and enhancers—DNA sequences that regulate gene activity. The model works directly with DNA nucleotides, without first transforming them into a continuous numerical representation. This solution could be useful for applications in synthetic biology and gene therapy. The study results were presented at the ICLR 2026 Workshop ‘Generative AI in Genomics (Gen^2): Barriers and Frontiers.’
Researchers at HSE University and Sber Train Neural Networks to Better Predict User Preferences
The HSE FCS AI and Digital Science Institute and Sber have introduced a new architecture for recommendation systems that combines two classes of models, enabling algorithms to better predict users’ interests and needs. A preprint of the paper has been published on arxiv.org and presented at Urban ML.
Social Integration: At the Crossroads of Knowledge and Values
The International Laboratory for Social Integration Research (ILSIR) at HSE University studies the challenges faced by vulnerable groups and explores ways to help them participate fully in everyday life. To develop effective solutions, the laboratory’s researchers combine cutting-edge methods with practical fieldwork. In this interview with the HSE News Service, Laboratory Head Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova discusses the laboratory’s work.
Physicists Discover What Happens Inside a Stable Vortex
Large vortices with characteristic spiral arms are often observed in the atmosphere and the ocean. Physicists from HSE University have explained how these structures form and why they retain their shape. The researchers found that velocities at points located along the same vortex arc remain correlated even over long distances. At the same time, this correlation weakens rapidly with increasing distance from the vortex centre. These differences help explain the formation of spiral arms and may improve models of atmospheric and oceanic currents. The findings have been published in Physical Review Fluids.
HSE Computer Science Researchers Win Gold Medal at International Machine Learning Competition
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