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Use and abuse of dissociative and psychedelic drugs in adolescence - PubMed

Review

Use and abuse of dissociative and psychedelic drugs in adolescence

M L Shawn Bates et al. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Adolescence is a period of profound developmental changes, which run the gamut from behavioral and neural to physiological and hormonal. It is also a time at which there is an increased propensity to engage in risk-taking and impulsive behaviors like drug use. This review examines the human and preclinical literature on adolescent drug use and its consequences, with a focus on dissociatives (PCP, ketamine, DXM), classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin), and MDMA. It is the case for all the substances reviewed here that very little is known about their effects in adolescent populations. An emerging aspect of the literature is that dissociatives and MDMA produce mixed reinforcing and aversive effects and that the balance between reinforcement and aversion may differ between adolescents and adults, with consequences for drug use and addiction. However, many studies have failed to directly compare adults and adolescents, which precludes definitive conclusions about these consequences. Other important areas that are largely unexplored are sex differences during adolescence and the long-term consequences of adolescent use of these substances. We provide suggestions for future work to address the gaps we identified in the literature. Given the widespread use of these drugs among adolescent users, and the potential for therapeutic use, this work will be crucial to understanding abuse potential and consequences of use in this developmental stage.

Keywords: Adolescence; Dissociatives; MDMA; Psychedelics; Reward.

Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.

Responses to subanesthetic doses of ketamine and phencyclidine in adolescent and adult male rats. A,C) Locomotor response to the first injection of ketamine (20 mg/kg) or phencyclidine (6 mg/kg) in PND 30, PND 38 or PND 60 animals. There is a descending response as animals age from early adolescence to adulthood. B, D) Sensitization to ketamine (20 mg/kg) or phencyclidine (6 mg/kg) in adolescent (JV) and adult (AD) male rats. Drug was injected once every three days for five total injections starting at PND 30 in adolescents or PND 60 in adults. An increase in response is seen in adults following repeated injection, while adolescents remain high (despite the influence of age, which should lead to a reduced response). Responses shown as horizontal locomotor counts. Redrawn from Rocha, Hart and Trujillo, 2017.

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