British Journal of Pharmacology
October 1, 2017
Mary T. Zanda, Paola Fadda, S Antinori et al.
Methoxetamine (MXE) is a novel psychoactive substance that is emerging on the Internet and induces dissociative effects and acute toxicity. Its pharmacological effects have not yet been adequately investigated. We examined a range of behavioural effects induced by acute administration of MXE (0.5-5 mg·kg-1 ; i.p.) in rats and whether it causes rapid neuroadaptive molecular changes. MXE (0.5-5...
Behavioural Pharmacology
September 1, 2016
Mary T. Zanda, Paola Fadda, Cristiano Chiamulera et al.
An increasing number of novel psychoactive substances are currently available and sold as ‘legal highs’ or ‘research chemicals’ accompanied by the indication that they are ‘not for human consumption’. Among those that have emerged in the last few years, methoxetamine (MXE) owes its wide popularity to its easy access on the Internet and its reputation of being a ‘safe’ drug. MXE is an...
Psychopharmacology
2015
Veronica Serra, Liana Fattore, Maria Scherma et al.
26 citations
Salvinorin A is a recreational drug derived from Salvia divinorum, a sage species long used as an entheogen. While salvinorin A has potent hallucinogenic properties, its abuse potential has not been assessed consistently in controlled behavioural and neurochemical studies in rodents. This study aimed to assess salvinorin A abuse potential by measuring its capacity to establish and maintain...
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
2011
Liana Fattore, Walter Fratta
443 citations
Synthetic cannabinoids are functionally similar to delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive principle of cannabis, and bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the brain and peripheral organs. From 2008, synthetic cannabinoids were detected in herbal smoking mixtures sold on websites and in "head shops" under the brand name of Spice Gold, Yucatan Fire, Aroma, and others. Although...
Biological Psychiatry
February 1, 2008
Daniela Braida, Valeria Limonta, Valeria Capurro et al.
107 citations
The recreational drug, Salvinorin A, derived from the plant of Salvia divinorum, is a potent and selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist. The abuse of selective k-agonists is a novel phenomenon, the mechanism of which is not fully understood. We investigated salvinorin A given SC on the conditioned place preference (.05-160 microg/kg) and intracerebroventricular (ICV) self-administration (.01-1...
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics
June 2007
Marcello Solinas, Maria Scherma, Gianluigi Tanda et al.
Systemic administration of the main active ingredient in cannabis, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), alters extracellular levels of acetylcholine in several brain areas, suggesting an involvement of the cholinergic system in the psychotropic effects of cannabis. Here, we investigated whether drugs acting at either nicotinic or muscarinic receptors can modulate the discriminative effects of...