Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2019
Jordan K Zjawiony, Antônio S Machado, Ricardo Menegatti et al.
18 citations
Pain reduces quality of life, health, and economic well-being. Opioids are effective analgesics but cause side effects and have contributed to an overuse crisis, prompting the search for new pain treatments. This review examines salvinorin A and its analogs, focusing on their structural and pharmacological profiles as a basis for developing safer analgesics. Ethnopharmacological reports and preclinical data show antinociceptive effects of salvinorin A and some analogs. Analogs modified at the C-2 position dominate the literature. Binding affinity correlates with chemical structure and in vivo effects. Salvinorin A's susceptibility to chemical modification makes it a valuable tool for probing cellular mechanisms and developing promising analgesic analogs, though more research is needed to confirm therapeutic potential.
Drug and alcohol dependence reports
June 1, 2026
Christopher Medina-Kirchner, Scott E Lukas
After weekend ecstasy use, mood on Monday is lower than after non-use weekends. This effect is explained largely by more time spent in bed, which independently predicts lower mood. No differences were found in weekly depression or anxiety scores. The findings suggest that recovery-related behavior, not MDMA alone, may underlie post-use mood declines, though directionality cannot be determined.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 1, 2026
Jack E Henningfield, Frederick S Barrett, Suzette M Evans et al.
Roland R. Griffiths was a highly influential scientist in behavioral and neuropsychopharmacology, known for his rigorous research on abuse liability of substances including alcohol, benzodiazepines, caffeine, tobacco, and psychedelics. This review, authored by his former mentees and collaborators, describes his methodical approach to research, his inclusive and collegial mentoring style, and his role in advancing scientific methods for abuse liability assessment, policy, and regulation. His work culminated in the establishment of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, reflecting his curiosity-driven, humanity-serving science that continues to inspire innovation.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
December 1, 2015
Michael S Placzek, Genevieve C Van de Bittner, Hsiao-Ying Wey et al.
Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) binding availability in the brain was measured in living rats using positron emission tomography (PET) after administration of the KOR agonist salvinorin A. At lower doses, salvinorin A briefly competed for receptor binding but had no lasting effect. At a dose of 0.60 mg/kg, however, it induced a sustained decrease in KOR binding of 40–49% that persisted for up to 2.5 hours after the drug had left the brain, suggesting an adaptive response by the receptor not previously observed in vivo with PET.