Epilepsy

Question 1

What are focal / partial seizures?

Answer 1

The development of seizures is thought to be due to an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory input within certain brain regions and focal seizures most commonly arise from the temporal lobe.

symptoms : muscle contractions, unusual eye head movements, tingly feelings, lip smacking

Question 2

What are febrile seizures?

Answer 2

Convulsions in a child caused by fever from infection

Loss of consciousness, twitching limbs or convulsions, no arm or leg weakness, foaming at the mouth, pale, eye rolling, breathing difficulty

Question 3

Diazepam drug target?

Answer 3

The drug target is the GABA A receptor.

Would increase the inhibitory activities of GABA to reduce the excitatory effects of Glutamate. As GABA would bind more strongly to the receptor increasing the influx of calcium ions causing increased hyperpolarisation to ofset the depolarisation caused by Sodium ion influx by Glutamate.

Question 4

Lamatrigine?

Answer 4

Anti-epileptic drug
Affects voltag e gated sodium channel , inhibits Na+ influx

• can cause rash and nausua

Question 5

Pregabalin?

Answer 5

Binds to voltage gated calcium channel - inhibiting vesicle release

Question 6

Levetiracetam?

Answer 6

Synaptic vesicle protein SV2A site

Inhibiting docking and priming of vesicle inhibiting exocytosis

Question 7

Sodium valproate and females?

Answer 7

Due to low selectivity:

can cause side effects