International Roundtable “The Role of Individual Aspects of Bilingual Experience in Human Cognitive Functioning” with the participation of Professor Jubin Aboutalebi

At the Cognitive Health and Intelligence Centre, the scientific week “Bilingualism and Cognitive Health in Modern Society” has concluded, featuring invited Professor Jubin Aboutalebi and colleagues from the Centre for Socio-Cognitive Discourse Studies (SCoDis) of Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU).

On May 12, 2025, as part of the scientific week "Bilingualism and Cognitive Health in Modern Society," the Cognitive Health and Intelligence Centre (CHIC) of the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) held an international roundtable with leading scientists. Researchers from CHIC HSE and The Centre for Socio-Cognitive Discourse Studies (SCoDis) of Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU) participated in the discussion. The event’s guest of honor was Professor Jubin Aboutalebi, a leading cognitive neurologist and bilingualism specialist. Participants discussed new directions in the study of bilingualism, cognitive reserve, and multimodal communication, as well as outlined paths for further collaboration.

The event was opened by Professor Yuri Shtyrov, Director of CHIC, and Professor Andrey Myachikov, Senior Research Fellow of the Center. They presented the structure and key projects of CHIC and shared the results of their research. Yuri Shtyrov spoke about the study of neurocognitive learning processes and the impact on their efficiency using transcranial stimulation methods. Andrey Myachikov shared experience applying eye-tracking (oculography) in current projects and identified promising directions, including studying the influence of bilingualism on memory and attention, as well as issues of linguistic distance and language and sign language attrition.

Deputy Director of CHIC, Anna Izmalkova, presented promising research directions on cognitive strategies for memorizing foreign language lexical units, including studies of sign languages and languages with hieroglyphic writing systems taught at MSLU. Senior Research Fellow Olga Shcherbakova raised the issue of neuroefficiency in the context of cognitive flexibility and cognitive reserve and proposed organizing studies of these phenomena on bilingual samples.

Director of SCoDis MSLU, Olga Iriskhanova, spoke about the work of three laboratories within the center. These include the Sign Languages Lab, the Polimod Lab (Laboratory of Multimodal Communication), and the Gender Lab, working at the intersection of linguistics and social sciences. Head of the Sign Languages Research Laboratory, Anna Leontyeva, shared research results on multimodal communication and prospects for studies on the creativity of people with hearing impairments.

Professor Jubin Aboutalebi delivered a presentation on the influence of bilingualism on cognitive wellbeing and intelligence across different life stages. He also touched on cultural differences in sign communication, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural research in this field.

Following the meeting, participants agreed to develop a roadmap for joint research. Plans include organizing a series of seminars and international symposia, as well as exchanging expertise in supervising master’s and doctoral programs.

The event marked an important step toward strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in cognitive sciences. The scientific alliances formed open new opportunities for both fundamental and applied research in this dynamically developing field.