The neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) plays a pivotal role in regulating stress, fear, and anxiety responses. Genetic and molecular studies investigating PACAP demonstrate sex-dimorphic characteristics, with females exhibiting increased reactivity of PACAP signaling in neuropsychiatric disorders. Studies expand the role of PACAP to substance use disorders (SUD) by demonstrating modulation of PACAP can lead to neurobiological changes induced by nicotine, ethanol,...

Psychoactive substances used for recreational purposes have mind-altering effects, but systematic evaluation of these effects is largely limited to self-reports. Automated analysis of expressed language (speech and written text) using natural language processing (NLP) tools can provide objective readouts of mental states. In this pre-registered systematic review, we investigate findings from applying the emerging field of computational linguistics to substance use with specific focus on...

Sudden cardiac death represents a significant public health concern and is one of the leading causes of early mortality worldwide. The escalating use of illicit drugs, approximately 269 million people in 2018, represents a growing public health. Some of these drugs are stimulants that may have multiple effects on the cardiovascular system including the cardiac rhythm, then substance abuse increases the risk of sudden death. For instance, drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, may be responsible...

Amphetamine is a stimulant that is abused worldwide and e.g. leads to hyperthermia [Brinkman et al., 2014], dizziness, insomnia, stomachaches and suppression of appetite [Callaway et al., 1994]. The most common production route of racemic (R-/S)-amphetamine is the Leuckart synthesis [United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2006, Hauser et al., 2018], where by-products like 4-methyl-5-phenylpyrimidine (4-M-5-PP), N,N-di (β-phenylisopropyl)amine (DPIA) and N-formylamphetamine (NFA) are incurred....