Trinity Institute of the Addictions, College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
CNS Drugs. 2012 Nov;26(11):927-35. doi: 10.1007/s40263-012-0001-6.
Volatile substance misuse is among the most prevalent and toxic forms of psychoactive drug use, and often results in highly deleterious social, psychological and medical consequences. The prevalence of this pernicious form of substance misuse owes in part to the fact that volatile substances of misuse are ubiquitous in the natural environment. Commonly misused commercial products include glue, shoe polish, nail polish remover, butane lighter fluid, gasoline and computer duster spray. National samples of volatile substance misusers tend to exhibit high rates of psychiatric problems and antisocial behaviour. In addition, cognitive impairments and affective dysregulation are often observed among these individuals. Volatile substances exert their complex neuropharmacological effects on dopaminergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic and serotoninergic receptor systems, as well as on cell membranes and ion channels. Concomitantly, pharmacotherapies for volatile substance abuse might profitably target a number of mechanisms, including reward circuitry in the brain, symptoms of craving and withdrawal, neuropsychiatric and emotional impairments that promote volatile substance abuse, and cognitive enhancement to rectify deficits in executive function. This review details the modes of use, subjective effects, epidemiology, adverse consequences, neuropsychopharmacology and drug treatment of volatile substance misuse, and discusses the potential role of novel forms of pharmacological intervention for this oft-overlooked public health threat of epidemic proportions.
挥发性物质滥用是最普遍和最具毒性的精神活性药物滥用形式之一，通常会导致严重的社会、心理和医疗后果。这种有害的物质滥用形式之所以普遍存在，部分原因是滥用的挥发性物质在自然环境中无处不在。常见的被滥用的商用产品包括胶水、鞋油、指甲油去除剂、丁烷打火机燃料、汽油和电脑除尘器喷雾。挥发性物质滥用者的国家样本往往表现出高比例的精神问题和反社会行为。此外，这些个体中经常观察到认知障碍和情感失调。挥发性物质通过多巴胺能、谷氨酸能、GABA 能和 5-羟色胺能受体系统以及细胞膜和离子通道对复杂的神经药理学作用。因此，挥发性物质滥用的药物治疗可能会从许多机制中受益，包括大脑中的奖励回路、渴望和戒断症状、促进挥发性物质滥用的神经精神和情绪障碍，以及认知增强以纠正执行功能缺陷。本文详细介绍了挥发性物质滥用的使用方式、主观效应、流行病学、不良后果、神经精神药理学和药物治疗，并讨论了新型药理学干预在这一经常被忽视的具有流行规模的公共卫生威胁中的潜在作用。
