Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Departmental Section of Legal Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2020 May;35(3):e2727. doi: 10.1002/hup.2727. Epub 2020 Mar 7.
The ever-growing number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) that have been surfacing globally, as well as related changes in drug abuse trends, undoubtedly constitute a difficult and multifaceted challenge for psychiatry. The intake and abuse of such substances has been linked to a risk of psychopathological disturbances, which stem from imbalances of a range of neurotransmitter pathways and receptors. Through an analysis of relevant research articles and reviews (particularly those outlining NPS neurological and cerebral mechanisms of action and psychopathological consequences arising from NPS abuse; research papers more closely focused on chemical/pharmacological aspects have been ruled out), through a systematic analysis of Pubmed, Medline, PsycLIT and EMBASE literature, as well as data released by health care institutions and drug enforcement agencies (among which the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Eurojust, the Novel Psychoactive Treatment UK Network, the Court of Justice of the European Union), the authors aimed to elaborate on the most relevant data relative to NPS-related psychiatric effects, focusing on the conceptual and definition-related complexities inherent to NPS, clinical management and motivations for NPS use; moreover, an effort has been made to highlight the possible measures in order to tackle the unremitting rise of such elusive and potentially harmful substances.
新型精神活性物质（NPS）在全球范围内不断涌现，以及相关药物滥用趋势的变化，无疑对精神病学构成了困难和多方面的挑战。这些物质的摄入和滥用与精神病理紊乱的风险有关，这些紊乱源于一系列神经递质途径和受体的失衡。通过对相关研究文章和评论的分析（特别是那些概述 NPS 神经和大脑作用机制以及 NPS 滥用引起的精神病理后果的文章；排除了更密切关注化学/药理学方面的研究论文），通过对 Pubmed、Medline、PsycLIT 和 EMBASE 文献以及医疗机构和药物执法机构发布的数据（其中包括世界卫生组织、联合国毒品和犯罪问题办公室、欧洲毒品和毒瘾监测中心、欧洲司法合作组织、英国新型精神活性物质治疗网络、欧盟法院）的系统分析，作者旨在详细说明与 NPS 相关的精神科影响最相关的数据，重点关注 NPS 所固有的与概念和定义相关的复杂性、临床管理和 NPS 使用的动机；此外，还努力强调可能采取的措施，以应对这些难以捉摸且潜在有害物质的持续上升。
