- C412, Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 586796
- nick.toms@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Dr Nick Toms
Associate Professor in Clinical Education & Pharmacology (Education)
Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)
Biography
Biography
Acting Head of Peninsula Medical School
Director of Medical Science Learning & Educational SupportÂ
Professional membership
Senior Fellow HEA
British Pharmacological Society
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
My key areas of medical educational interest include:
- Pharmacology & therapeutics
- Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Medical biochemistry
- Technology-enhanced learning
- Small group learning (Team-Based Learning)
- Optimising student academic support
Staff serving as external examiners
Cardiff University External Examiner (2012-2016)
Publications
Publications
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
(2021) 'Standard setting anchor statements: a double cross-over trial of two different methods' MedEdPublish 10, (1:32) 1-13 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
(2019) 'OncoSim and OncoWiki: an authentic learning approach to teaching cancer genomics' BMC Medical Education 19, (1) , DOI Open access
(2018) 'A holistic remediation intervention for struggling undergraduate medical students affords sustained Progress Test performance recovery' MedEdPublish , DOI Open access
(2009) 'The neuroprotective action of the mood stabilizing drugs lithium chloride and sodium valproate is mediated through the up-regulation of the homeodomain protein Six1' Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 235, (1) 124-134 , DOI
(2008) 'Opposing roles for caspase and calpain death proteases in L-glutamate-induced oxidative neurotoxicity' Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 232, (2) 258-267 , DOI
(2007) 'Paracetamol inhibits nitric oxide synthesis in murine spinal cord slices' Eur J Pharmacol 562, (1-2) 68-71 , DOI
(2006) 'Pyruvate and oxaloacetate limit zinc-induced oxidative HT-22 neuronal cell injury' Neurotoxicology 27, (6) 1043-1051 , DOI
(2006) 'Live cell detection of caspase-3 activation by a Discosoma-red-fluorescent-protein-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer construct' Anal Biochem 349, (1) 148-155 , DOI
(2004) 'Novel metabotropic glutamate receptor negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase in cultured rat cerebellar astrocytes' Glia 46, (1) 1-7 , DOI
(2004) 'Pyruvate limits zinc-induced rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' Eur J Neurosci 19, (2) 287-294 , DOI
(2004) 'Pyruvate limits zinc-induced rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 19, (2) 287-294 , DOI
(2003) 'Characterisation of zinc uptake into rat cultured cerebrocortical oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' Neurosci Lett 352, (2) 113-116 , DOI
(2003) 'Characterisation of zinc uptake into rat cultured cerebrocortical oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' Neuroscience Letters , DOI
(2002) 'Sodium nitroprusside-induced rat fundus relaxation is ryanodine-sensitive and involves L-type Ca2+ channel and small conductance Ca(2+)-sensitive K+ channel components' Auton Autacoid Pharmacol 22, (5-6) 297-301 , DOI
(2002) 'Functional coupling of rat metabotropic glutamate 1a receptors to phospholipase D in CHO cells: involvement of extracellular Ca2+, protein kinase C, tyrosine kinase and Rho-A' Neuropharmacology 42, (1) 1-8 , DOI
(2001) 'Regional mapping of low-affinity kainate receptors in mouse brain using [(3)H](2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate autoradiography' Eur J Pharmacol 431, (3) 305-310 , DOI
(2001) 'Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors limit AMPA receptor-mediated oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' Eur J Pharmacol 424, (3) R3-R4 , DOI
(1999) 'Group 1 mGlu receptors elevate [Ca2+]i in rat cultured cortical type 2 astrocytes: [Ca2+]i synergy with adenosine A1 receptors' Neuropharmacology 38, (10) 1511-1517 , DOI
(1999) 'Group I mGlu receptors potentiate synaptosomal [3H]glutamate release independently of exogenously applied arachidonic acid' Neuropharmacology 38, (4) 477-485 , DOI
(1997) 'Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and p70S6 kinase is not correlated with cerebellar granule cell survival' Biochem J 324 ( Pt 2), (Pt 2) 365-369 , DOI
(1997) 'Inhibition of AMPA receptor-stimulated 57Co2+ influx by D- and L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (D- and L-AP4) and L-serine-O-phosphate (L-SOP) in cultured cerebellar granule cells' Neuropharmacology 36, (3) 335-343 , DOI
(1997) 'A novel kainate receptor ligand [3H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate: pharmacological characterization in rabbit brain membranes' Neuropharmacology 36, (11-12) 1483-1488 , DOI
(1996) 'Latest eruptions in metabotropic glutamate receptors' Trends Pharmacol Sci 17, (12) 429-435 , DOI
(1996) 'The effects of (RS)-alpha-cyclopropyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine ((RS)-CPPG), a potent and selective metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist' Br J Pharmacol 119, (5) 851-854 , DOI
(1996) 'Novel potent selective phenylglycine antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors' Eur J Pharmacol 309, (1) 71-78 , DOI
(1995) 'Characterization of metabotropic glutamate receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat cultured cerebellar granule cells' Br J Pharmacol 116, (7) 2824-2827 , DOI
(1994) 'NMDA receptor-mediated stimulation of rat cerebellar nitric oxide formation is modulated by cyclic AMP' Eur J Pharmacol 266, (1) 63-66 , DOI
Conference Papers
(2016) 'Team-based learning as a formative assessment tool for consolidation week at Plymouth Peninsula School of Medicine' Ottawa 2016 Perth Western Australia 3-/-0/20163-/-0/2016Open access
(2007) 'Opposing roles for caspase and calpain death proteases in l-glutamate-induced oxidative neurotoxicity' Elsevier BV 182-183 , DOI
(2006) 'Modulation of Six1 expression by the anti-mania agents lithium chloride and sodium valproate' 70-71 , DOI
(2003) 'Caspases mediate the execution of apoptosis by paracetamol (acetaminophen) in human HUH7 hepatoblastoma cells'
(2003) 'Pyruvate affords protection from zinc toxic insults in the murine HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cell line'
(2003) 'Staurosporine and anti-FAS (CD95) antibody induce caspase activation in the HT-22 murine hippocampal cell line'
(2003) 'Pyruvate rescues oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from zinc toxic insults' U102-U102
(2002) 'Attenuation of excitotoxic oligodendrocyte progenitor cell degeneration by the caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk'
(2001) 'AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxic cell death in rat cultured oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' U73-U73
(1999) 'Coupling of group 1 mGluRs to phospholipase D in cultured CHO-mGluR1 alpha cells and cortical type 1 astrocytes' A22-A22
(1999) 'Novel glutamate-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in rat cultured cerebellar astrocytes'
(1998) 'Activation of group I mGluRs increases extracellular glycine levels in the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen of freely-moving rats' R138-R138
(1998) 'Adenosine A(1) receptor activation potentiates group I metabotropic glutamate receptor-stimulated [Ca2+](i) in cultured cortical glia' R137-R137
(1998) 'The group I, II and III mGluR modulating glutamate release in nucleus accumben and caudate putamen of freely-moving rats in vivo' R138-R138
(1997) 'mGlu(1 alpha) receptor undergoes rapid, PKC-independent desensitization when expressed in CHO cells' U104-U104
(1997) 'Effects of the mGlu receptor agonist (1S,3S)-ACPD on glutamate, aspartate and glycine release in the nucleus accumbens and striatum of the rat' P158-P158
(1995) 'CHARACTERIZATION OF METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE-RECEPTOR COUPLED PHOSPHOINOSITIDE HYDROLYSIS IN CULTURED RAT CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS' P109-P109
(1995) 'LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR CYCLIC-AMP-DEPENDENT REGULATION OF NMDA RECEPTOR-STIMULATED NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHESIS IN CULTURED RAT CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS' P277-P277
(1994) 'CYCLIC-AMP ENHANCES NMDA RECEPTOR-MEDIATED STIMULATION OF RAT CEREBELLAR NITRIC-OXIDE FORMATION' P57-P57
Presentations and posters
'Student Perceptions towards Responseware in a Team Based Learning setting'