Mrs AB is a 56-year-old patient who has a history of epilepsy. She has been poorly controlled recently and her neurologist has initiated her on phenytoin. She was initially prescribed a dose of 300mg daily, however her dose has recently been increased to 350mg daily. Shortly following this dose increase she began to experience symptoms of phenytoin toxicity. Explain why small dose increments with phenytoin can result in toxicity? (5 Marks)

Section A   50 compulsory MCQs from across the module PHA333  (Total Marks 50) 

In the ventral tegmental area, morphine is known to act on opiate (mu) receptors located on which of the following?

A psychiatrist wishes to prescribe lithium for a patient with bipolar disorder. Which statement concerning the use of lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorder is CORRECT?

Which of the following checks is NOT recommended at least annually for people with bipolar disorder?

A 28-year-old woman with known anxiety presents to her GP. She is due to give a presentation at work to an important crowd of people and is worried about sweating, flushing and shaking in public and has asked for some medication. She is not known to have any medical history and has no drug allergies. Which of the following can provide the MOST appropriate symptomatic control of her performance related anxiety?

A 27-year-old woman has recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She is due to start antipsychotic therapy and a range of baseline investigations have been requested. Which of the following investigations is NOT routinely recommended before initiation of antipsychotic therapy?

What compound is the amino acid precursor of dopamine?

Which of the following statements concerning activation of adenylyl cyclase is TRUE?

The locus coeruleus is the principal site for brain synthesis of: