Psychobiological, medical, and psychiatric implications of new/novel psychoactive substance (NPS) use (Napoletano, 2021)
Schifano Fabrizio Chiappini Stefania Catalani Valeria Napoletano Flavia Arillotta Davide Zangani Caroline Guirguis Amira Vento Alessandro Emiliano Bonaccorso Stefania Corkery John Martin.
Psychobiological issues in substance use and misuse 2021; 213.
Check for full-text availability
This chapter aims at providing clinicians and academics with updated knowledge on the clinical pharmacology, psychobiological, medical, and psychopathological disturbances the range of these NPS can produce. This chapter provides an overview of the psychobiological, medical, and psychopathological risks relating to NPS intake, an issue which is, per se, associated with the imbalance of a range of neurotransmitter pathways/receptors, and consequently with the risk of a range of medical and psychiatric disorders. More precisely, the occurrence of psychobiological and psychopathological disturbances has been related to: (1) increased central dopamine levels, associated with the intake of most of these substances, including novel psychedelic phenethylamines, synthetic cathinones, and 4,4’-DMAR; (2) cannabinoid CB1 receptor activation, achieved with synthetic cannabimimetics; (3) 5-HT2A receptor activation, reported with NBOMe compounds, latest tryptamine derivatives, DXM, and hallucinogenic plants; (4) antagonist activity at NMDA receptors, described with phencyclidine-like dissociatives; and (5) k-opioid receptor activation, typically associated with Salvia divinorum intake. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)