Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the commonest presentations to emergency departments and is associated with seizures carrying different significance at different stages following injury. We describe the epidemiology of early and late seizures following TBI, the significance of intracranial haemorrhage of different types in the risk of later epilepsy and the gaps in current understanding of risk factors contributing to the risk of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). The delay from injury to epilepsy presents an opportunity to understand the mechanisms underlying changes in the brain and how they may reveal potential targets for anti-epileptogenic therapy. We review existing treatments, both medical and surgical and conclude that current research is not tailored to differentiate between PTE and other forms of focal epilepsy. Finally, we review the increasing understanding of the frequency and significance of dissociative seizures following mild TBI.

Obesity is rising globally and is associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders among children, adolescents and young adults. Whether obesity is the cause or the consequence of these disorders remains unclear. To examine the behavioural effects of obesity systematically, locomotion, anxiety and social behaviour were assessed in male and female C57Bl/6J mice using the open field, elevated plus maze and social preference task. First, the effects of age and sex were examined in control mice, before investigating postweaning consumption of a high fat-high sugar diet commonly consumed in human populations with high rates of obesity. In the open field and elevated plus maze, locomotor activity and anxiety-related behaviours reduced with aging in both sexes, but with different sex-specific profiles. The high fat-high sugar diet reduced food and calorie intake and increased body mass and fat deposition in both sexes. In the open field, both male and female mice on the obesogenic diet showed reduced locomotion; whereas, in the elevated plus maze, only females fed with the obesogenic diet displayed reduced anxietyrelated behaviours. Both male and female mice on the obesogenic diet had a significantly higher social preference index than the control group. In conclusion, the findings demonstrate that the behavioural effects of age and dietinduced obesity all depend on the sex of the mouse. This emphasises the importance of considering the age of the animal and including both sexes when assessing behavioural phenotypes arising from dietary manipulations.K E Y W O R D S age differences, elevated plus maze, high fat-high sugar diet, open field, sex differences, social preference | INTRODUCTIONThe incidence of obesity defined by the World Health Organisation as a body mass index (BMI) of greater than Abbreviations: Elevated plus maze, (EPM); High fat-high sugar, (HFHS); Open field, (OF); Social preference, (SP).

Objectives To evaluate the acceptability and usability of the Hear Glue Ear mobile application to guide families and support speech and language development in children with otitis media with effusion (OME). To assess the validity of the app’s game-based hearing test to estimate changes in hearing levels between audiology appointments. Method This evaluation examined 60 children aged 2–8 with and without OME, attending Cambridge Community Audiology clinics. Children’s performance in the app’s hearing test was compared to their pure tone average (PTA) obtained in clinic. Children and caregivers completed questionnaires after their first interaction with the app, and after one week of using it at home. 18 clinicians completed anonymous questionnaires after trialling the app. Results Results from the app’s hearing test show a significant correlation with clinic PTA values ([Formula: see text]). 73.1% of caregivers supported their child using the app regularly and 85% thought it enabled them to give more accurate reports to clinicians. After one week, 87.0% of families downloaded and used the app at home, and 85.7% of these felt it provided strategies to help their child. 100% of children liked the app and 93.3% found it easy to use. 77.8% of clinicians supported patients using the app regularly. Conclusions Hear Glue Ear is acceptable to children, caregivers and clinicians as part of OME management. The app’s hearing test provides a valid estimate of fluctuating hearing levels. Hear Glue Ear is a free, accessible and family-centred intervention to provide trusted information and support development, as NICE guidance recommends.

Obesity is rising globally and is associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders among children, adolescents, and young adults. Whether obesity is the cause or the consequence of these disorders remains unclear. To examine the behavioural effects of obesity systematically, locomotion, anxiety, and social behaviour were assessed in male and female C57Bl/6J mice using the open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM) and social preference (SP) task. First, the effects of age, sex and prior exposure to the tasks were examined in control mice, before investigating post-weaning consumption of a high fat, high sugar (HFHS) diet commonly consumed in human populations with high rates of obesity. In the OF and EPM, locomotor activity and anxiety-related behaviours were reduced by age in both sexes, but with different sex-specific profiles. Prior exposure to the tasks reduced locomotion in the OF in a sex-specific manner but had little effect on behaviour in the EPM in either sex. The HFHS diet reduced food and calorie intake and increased body mass and fat deposition in both sexes. In the OF, both male and female HFHS mice showed reduced locomotion, whereas, in the EPM, only HFHS female mice displayed reduced anxiety-related behaviours. Both male and female HFHS mice had a significantly higher SP index than controls. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that the behavioural effects of age, prior exposure and of diet-induced obesity all depend on the sex of the mouse. This emphasises the importance of including both sexes when assessing behavioural phenotypes arising from dietary manipulations.