Novel psychoactive substances of interest for psychiatry
Fabrizio Schifano, Laura Orsolini, Gabriele Duccio Papanti, John Corkery
World Psychiatry February 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20174 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Synthetic drugs Mental health Drug testing Neurotransmitters Substance abuse |
| Citations | 319 |
| Key findings | Novel psychoactive substances act on multiple neurotransmitter pathways associated with psychopathological conditions, and the paper aims to update psychiatrists on their clinical pharmacology and consequences. |
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances include synthetic cannabinoids, cathinone derivatives, psychedelic phenethylamines, novel stimulants, synthetic opioids, tryptamine derivatives, phencyclidine-like dissociatives, piperazines, GABA-A/B receptor agonists, a range of prescribedmedications, psychoactive plants/herbs, and a large series of performance and image enhancing drugs. Users are typically attracted by these substances due to their intense psychoactive effects and likely lack of detection in routine drug screenings. This paper aims at providing psychiatrists with updated knowledge of the clinical pharmacology and psychopathological consequences of the use of these substances. Indeed, these drugs act on a range of neurotransmitter pathways/receptors whose imbalance has been associated with psychopathological conditions, including dopamine, cannabinoid CB1, GABA-A/B, 5-HT2A, glutamate, and k opioid receptors. An overall approach in terms of clinical management is briefly discussed.Peer reviewe