HSE Psycholinguists Launch Digital Tool to Spot Dyslexia in Children
Specialists from HSE University's Centre for Language and Brain have introduced LexiMetr, a new digital tool for diagnosing dyslexia in primary school students. This is the first standardised application in Russia that enables fast and reliable assessment of children’s reading skills to identify dyslexia or the risk of developing it. The application is available on the RuStore platform and runs on Android tablets.
Reading is one of the most complex cognitive skills. It depends on phonological and orthographic processing and requires hand–eye coordination, memory, and attention. Dyslexia is a specific reading disorder characterised by impaired reading acquisition despite preserved nonverbal intelligence. According to the International Dyslexia Association, between 15% and 20% of people worldwide experience reading difficulties. Without timely diagnosis and support, children with reading problems may grow into adults who struggle to use written information in their daily lives.
However, if dyslexia is identified at the primary school age, children have the opportunity to compensate for the disorder and learn to read effectively. Psycholinguists at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed LexiMetr, a tool for assessing reading skills and detecting reading disorders (dyslexia) in students across grades one to four. The application is available on RuStore.
Until now in Russia, reading performance has been assessed using a method adapted in the 1990s by Alexander Kornev, which involves reading a text aloud and answering comprehension questions. While this approach remains reliable and widely used, modern speech therapy practice requires more convenient, technology-based solutions, especially for large-scale screening.
LexiMetr, developed by the Centre for Language and Brain, offers an alternative. This digital test allows users to determine within three minutes whether a child’s reading performance meets age norms and indicates the risk or presence of dyslexia. No prior preparation is needed: all instructions are built into the interface, and results can be easily marked up and saved.
A distinctive feature of the test is its detailed age standards. The application includes data for three groups of children: Russian-speaking monolinguals, bilinguals from national republics, and children learning Russian as a foreign language. LexiMetr has also been successfully validated, demonstrating comparable reading performance between texts displayed on a tablet and traditional paper sheets.
Nina Zdorova, Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain
'The LexiMetr test is the result of many years of work by a large team at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain. Our development draws on cutting-edge research in dyslexia, psychometrics, speech therapy, psycholinguistics, and UX design. We hope the application will support speech therapists and teachers in their daily practice. Accurate and timely diagnosis highlights a child’s reading difficulties and enables early intervention, giving children the opportunity to successfully master reading and avoid future challenges.'
Nina Zdorova
See also:
HSE Scientists Develop Method to Stabilise Iodine in Solar Cells
Scientists at HSE MIEM, in collaboration with colleagues from China, have developed a method to improve the durability of perovskite solar cells by addressing iodine loss from the material. The researchers introduced quaternary ammonium molecules into the perovskite structure; these molecules form strong electrostatic pairs with iodine ions, effectively anchoring them within the crystal lattice. As a result, the solar cells retain more than 92% of their power after a thousand hours of operation at 85°C. The study has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.
HSE Researchers Create Genome-Wide Map of Quadruplexes
An international team, including researchers from HSE University, has created the first comprehensive map of quadruplexes—unstable DNA structures involved in gene regulation. For the first time, scientists have shown that these structures function in pairs: one is located in a DNA region that initiates gene transcription, while the other lies in a nearby region that enhances this process. In healthy tissues, quadruplexes regulate tissue-specific genes, whereas in cancerous tissues they influence genes responsible for cell growth and division. These findings may contribute to the development of new anticancer drugs that target quadruplexes. The study has been published in Nucleic Acids Research.
HSE Scholars to Join Sino-Russian Association of Fundamental Sciences
The Sino-Russian Association of Fundamental Sciences has officially begun its work in China. It brings together research centres in mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, and Earth sciences, with participation from HSE University scholars. During the launch conference, the Sino-Russian Mathematics Series project was also presented; it envisages the publication of 100 textbooks and monographs over the next ten years. HSE University representatives Ivan Arzhantsev and Sergei Lando have joined the project’s editorial board.
Mathematician from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod Solves Equation Considered Unsolvable in Quadratures Since 19th Century
Mathematician Ivan Remizov from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences has made a conceptual breakthrough in the theory of differential equations. He has derived a universal formula for solving problems that had been considered unsolvable in quadratures for more than 190 years. This result fundamentally reshapes one of the oldest areas of mathematics and has potential to have important implications for fundamental physics and economics. The paper has been published in Vladikavkaz Mathematical Journal.
Scientists Reveal How Language Supports Complex Cognitive Processing in the Brain
Valeria Vinogradova, a researcher at HSE University, together with British colleagues, studied how language proficiency affects cognitive processing in deaf adults. The study showed that higher language proficiency—regardless of whether the language is signed or spoken—is associated with higher activity and stronger functional connectivity within the brain network responsible for cognitive task performance. The findings have been published in Cerebral Cortex.
HSE AI Research Centre Simplifies Particle Physics Experiments
Scientists at the HSE AI Research Centre have developed a novel approach to determining robustness in deep learning models. Their method works eight times faster than an exhaustive model search and significantly reduces the need for manual verification. It can be applied to particle physics problems using neural networks of various architectures. The study has been published in IEEE Access.
Scientists Show That Peer Influence Can Be as Effective as Expert Advice
Eating habits can be shaped not only by the authority of medical experts but also through ordinary conversations among friends. Researchers at HSE University have shown that advice from peers to reduce sugar consumption is just as effective as advice from experts. The study's findings have been published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
HSE University Establishes Cybersecurity Department
The HSE University Moscow Tikhonov Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM) has established a new Department of Cybersecurity. This move consolidates MIEM’s educational, scientific, and expert resources in information and computer security, expands its portfolio of educational programmes, strengthens partnerships with industry leaders, and enhances HSE’s position as a leading centre of cybersecurity competence.
HSE University to Host Second ‘Genetics and the Heart’ Congress
HSE University, the National Research League of Cardiac Genetics, and the Central State Medical Academy of the Administrative Directorate of the President will hold the Second ‘Genetics and the Heart’ Congress with international participation. The event will take place on February 7–8, 2026, at the HSE University Cultural Centre.
HSE University Develops Tool for Assessing Text Complexity in Low-Resource Languages
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a tool for assessing text complexity in low-resource languages. The first version supports several of Russia’s minority languages, including Adyghe, Bashkir, Buryat, Tatar, Ossetian, and Udmurt. This is the first tool of its kind designed specifically for these languages, taking into account their unique morphological and lexical features.