Current Neuropharmacology
August 31, 2026
Harrison J. Elder, Bryan W. Jenkins, C. Austin Zamarripa et al.
Introduction: This narrative review systematically examines the available empirical evidence for interactions between delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC or THC) and C. sativa’s other phytochemical constituents hypothesized to underpin the popular yet controversial notion of ‘entourage effects’ experienced with botanical cannabis. Many relevant preclinical and clinical studies have been...
Current Neuropharmacology
June 30, 2026
Jiaying Wang, Rui Zhang, Yuanyuan Ma et al.
Ketamine and its structural analog, 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine, both potent stimulants, can induce euphoria but also cause neurotoxicity, cognitive decline, and neurodevelopmental deficits in the fetus. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these neurodevelopmental abnormalities are not yet fully elucidated, particularly concerning effects that are specific to certain cell types....
Current Neuropharmacology
May 22, 2026
Sheng-Nan Liu, Wen-Qi Li, Si-Chang Yang et al.
Introduction: Nitrous oxide (N2O) abuse is a growing international concern, with limited effective intervention strategies. This study investigates the potential of Cryptotanshinone (CTS) and its metabolite tanshinone IIA (TAN IIA) in alleviating N2O-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) behavior and modulating dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) and TrkB pathway Methods: In vivo, a CPP mouse model...
Current Neuropharmacology
April 28, 2026
Hongshuang Wang, Xiaobing Li, Feng Yu et al.
The integration of psychedelics and music in therapeutic settings is gaining recognition for its potential to enhance mental health outcomes. This review synthesizes current evidence on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this synergy, focusing on receptor-level pathways (e.g., 5-HT2A receptor agonism, BDNF-TrkB signaling) and neural circuit dynamics (e.g., default mode network...
Current Neuropharmacology
April 16, 2026
Xiangying Wei, Shan Xu, Zhaoqiong Zhu
Depression represents a critical global health burden, ranking as the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Although drug therapies remain an important cornerstone in treating depression, we must acknowledge their significant shortcomings: they often take too long to work, cause difficult side effects, and fail to prevent relapse. Critically, while current drugs target specific...
Current Neuropharmacology
January 9, 2026
Maria Antonietta De Luca, Cristina Miliano, Amanda Roxburgh et al.
1 citation
Preclinical and clinical studies reported that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') can cause adverse effects in the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, preclinical studies have demonstrated that certain psychoactive substances may exacerbate the noxious central effects of MDMA when co-administered, including substances that are contained as adulterants in tablets sold as...
Current Neuropharmacology
October 20, 2025
Vassilis Martiadis, Fabiola Raffone, Danilo Atripaldi et al.
21 citations
Esketamine rapidly improved suicidality and depression in TRD, with preliminary evidence suggesting gender-specific responses, and highlighting the importance of tailored interventions to maximize outcomes. Further research is needed to confirm these differences, explore the long-term effects, and understand the underlying mechanisms.
Current Neuropharmacology
May 15, 2025
Yuanyuan Ding, Shiya Liu, Kaixin Wang et al.
1 citation
The exploration of consciousness and the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying general anesthesia are two intertwined endeavors that have significantly advanced our understanding of the neural correlates of awareness. Both fields converge on the neural systems that regulate consciousness. Frontoparietal networks, known for their involvement in executive functions, attention, and cognitive...
Current Neuropharmacology
April 7, 2025
Marika Alborghetti, Luana Lionetto, Ginevra Lombardozzi et al.
1 citation
Esketamine is administered intranasally in combination with at least another antidepressant in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Some of these antidepressants might affect ketamine's pharmacokinetic profile by inhibiting cytochrome-P450 (CYP450) isoforms. Our aim was to establish how different types of combined antidepressants affect serum and salivary levels of esketamine at the...
Current Neuropharmacology
February 20, 2025
Alessio Mosca, Stefania Chiappini, Gianluca Mancusi et al.
3 citations
BACKGROUND: The widespread availability and accessibility of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines play a vital role in modern healthcare systems, enabling individuals to manage minor health concerns independently. However, certain OTC medications possess pharmacological properties that render them susceptible to misuse and abuse, including stimulants, laxatives, sedatives, and opiate-containing...
Current Neuropharmacology
January 16, 2025
Sen Wang, Chaoli Huang, Mengyu Wang et al.
4 citations
Depression is a prevalent mental disorder, affecting approximately 300 million people worldwide. Despite decades of research into the underlying mechanisms of depression, a consensus remains elusive. Recent studies have implicated changes in oligodendrocytes and myelin in the pathogenesis of depression. Conventional antidepressants may alleviate symptoms within weeks of use, but approximately...
Current Neuropharmacology
2025
Gianluca Rosso, Giacomo d'Andrea, Stefano Barlati et al.
23 citations
Data on long-term treatment with Esketamine Nasal Spray (ESKNS) in real-world patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD) is scarce. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of ESK-NS treatment at 6 and 12-month follow-ups. This is part of an observational, retrospective, multicentric Italian study (REAL-ESK study). Subjects for the present study...
Current Neuropharmacology
2025
Wei Zheng, Limei Gu, Jianqiang Tan et al.
1 citation
Growing evidence suggests that repeated-dose intravenous ketamine in patients with depression had rapid antianhedonic effects. However, a comparison of the antianhedonic effects of repeated-dose intravenous ketamine between younger adults and older depressed patients has not been examined. To the best of my knowledge, this study with a total of 135 patients with major depressive episodes (MDE)...
Current Neuropharmacology
January 5, 2024
Tamar Glatman Zaretsky, Kathleen M. Jagodnik, Robert Barsic et al.
73 citations
Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can occur following exposure to a traumatic experience. An estimated 12 million U.S. adults are presently affected by this disorder. Current treatments include psychological therapies (e.g., exposure-based interventions) and pharmacological treatments (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs))....
Current Neuropharmacology
2024
Lisa Burback, Suzette Brémault-phillips, Mirjam J Nijdam et al.
187 citations
This narrative state-of-the-art review paper describes the progress in the understanding and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Over the last four decades, the scientific landscape has matured, with many interdisciplinary contributions to understanding its diagnosis, etiology, and epidemiology. Advances in genetics, neurobiology, stress pathophysiology, and brain imaging have...
Current Neuropharmacology
2024
Michel Sabé, Chaomei Chen, Wissam El-Hage et al.
25 citations
We conducted a scientometric analysis to outline clinical research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our primary objective was to perform a broad-ranging scientometric analysis to evaluate key themes and trends over the past decades. Our secondary objective was to measure research network performance. We conducted a systematic search in the Web of Science Core Collection up to 15 August...
Current Neuropharmacology
2024
Mortimer Mamelak
24 citations
Many features of major depressive disorder are mirrored in rodent models of psychological stress. These models have been used to examine the relationship between the activation of the hypothalamic- pituitary axis in response to stress, the development of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, the dominance of cholinergic neurotransmission and the associated increase in REM sleep pressure....
Current Neuropharmacology
October 20, 2022
Alessio Mosca, Stefania Chiappini, Andrea Miuli et al.
30 citations
BACKGROUND: Ibogaine and noribogaine are psychedelic substances with dissociative properties naturally occurring in plants of the Apocynaceae family. Research has shown their efficacy in treating substance use disorders (SUD), particularly in opiate detoxification, but their efficacy and toxicity are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to assess the anti-addictive role of ibogaine and...
Current Neuropharmacology
March 4, 2022
Radharani Benvenutti, Matheus Gallas‐lopes, Matheus Marcon et al.
Schizophrenia pathophysiology is associated with hypofunction of glutamate NMDA receptors (NMDAR) in GABAergic interneurons and dopaminergic hyperactivation in subcortical brain areas. The administration of NMDAR antagonists is used as an animal model that replicates behavioral phenotypes relevant to the positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Such models overwhelmingly...
Current Neuropharmacology
January 14, 2021
Stefania Chiappini, Andrea Miuli, Alessio Mosca et al.
19 citations
BACKGROUND: Both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs recently emerged among novel psychoactive substances (NPS) being reported as ingested for recreational purposes. Among them, benzydamine (BZY), normally prescribed as an OTC anti-inflammatory drug, is reportedly being diverted and recreationally used. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate how the misuse of BZY has been...
Current Neuropharmacology
March 2, 2018
Jonathan Hamill, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Serdar Dursun et al.
179 citations
Background: Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian decoction with psychoactive properties, is made from bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (containing beta-carboline alkaloids) and leaves of the Psychotria viridis bush (supplying the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine, DMT). Originally used by indigenous shamans for the purposes of spirit communication, magical experiences, healing, and...
Current Neuropharmacology
June 19, 2017
Rainer Kraehenmann
90 citations
The broad overlap between dreaming and psychedelic states supports the notion that psychedelics acutely induce dreamlike subjective experiences which may have long-term beneficial effects on psychosocial functioning and well-being. Future clinical studies should examine how therapeutic outcome is related to the acute dreamlike effects of psychedelics.
Current Neuropharmacology
December 2, 2016
Laura Orsolini, Paul St John‐smith, Daniel Mcqueen et al.
28 citations
Indeed, a range of evolutionary mechanisms, such as: optimal foraging, costly signaling, and reproduction at the expense of health may all cooperate to explain the recent spread and diffusion of the NPS market, and this may represent a reason of concern.
Current Neuropharmacology
November 3, 2016
Julian A Michely, Sascha K. Manier, Achim T. Caspar et al.
36 citations
BACKGROUND: 3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) and 3-methoxyrolicyclidine (3-MeOPCPy) are two new psychoactive substances (NPS). The aims of the present study were the elucidation of their metabolic fate in rat and pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM), the identification of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes involved, and the detectability using standard urine screening approaches (SUSA)...
Current Neuropharmacology
March 25, 2016
Brittany A. Jaso, Mark J. Niciu, Nicolas D. Iadarola et al.
97 citations
Current pharmacotherapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) have a distinct lag of onset that can prolong distress and impairment for patients, and realworld effectiveness trials further suggest that antidepressant efficacy is limited in many patients. All currently approved antidepressant medications for MDD act primarily through monoaminergic mechanisms, e.g., receptor/reuptake agonists or...