Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Psychoactives, I am pleased to announce this Special Issue, entitled “Feature Papers in Psychoactives”. This Special Issue aims to be a collection of high-quality reviews and original papers from editorial board members, guest editors, and leading researchers, discussing new knowledge or new cutting-edge developments and the state-of-the-art in psychoactive substances research. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacological and toxicological effects, and the variability of drug-response are welcome topics.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Dinis-Oliveira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Psychoactives is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

psychoactive substances
pharmacokinetics
pharmacodynamics
pharmacological effects
toxicological effects
variability of drug-response

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Tripping to Cope: Coping Strategies and Use of Hallucinogens during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Three Cultural Contexts

Miguel Ángel Alcázar-Córcoles

and

José Carlos Bouso

Psychoactives 2022, 1(1), 16-30; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives1010003 - 02 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1515

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the need to develop effective strategies to cushion the psychological consequences of social catastrophes. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of hallucinogens is a protective factor that mitigates against such stressors. However, the underlying mechanisms must be further explored. This study specifically focused on the potential role of coping strategies in this regard, analyzing them through an online survey completed by a total of 2971 subjects who were followed up with from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic until six months after baseline. The survey was published in three different cultures (English, Spanish, and Portuguese), allowing for the collection of data from three different cultural contexts. The results show that coping strategies were generally more related to psychological well-being and psychopathology than to hallucinogenic drug use. However, regarding the latter, users of hallucinogens had higher scores on problem-focused engagement and disengagement and lower scores on wishful thinking than non-users. Longitudinally, while most baseline coping scores were associated with psychological distress and the severity of psychological symptoms, some coping strategies were related to the use of hallucinogens. These results show an adaptive pattern of coping strategies among hallucinogen users. Further research should take into account that coping strategies are only marginally associated with hallucinogenic drug use. Other underlying mechanisms explaining the better adjustment of users of hallucinogens to pandemics should be explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Psychoactives)

Other

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Open AccessOpinion

Genotoxic Aspects of Psychoactive Substances

Nuno G. Oliveira

and

Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira

Psychoactives 2022, 1(2), 64-69; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives1020007 - 24 Oct 2022

Viewed by 776

Abstract

Exposure to psychoactive substances is undoubtedly a serious public health issue that should be carefully analyzed from different perspectives. Regarding the types of toxic effects inflicted by these xenobiotics, it is already known that many of the common abused psychoactives have shown positive genotoxicity findings in complementary genetic toxicology assays. Nevertheless, while there are several experimental articles and reviews on this topic, it is also clear that additional information, particularly mechanistic studies, is still needed. This article addresses these issues, pointing out some aspects of the potential genotoxicity of psychoactive substances that should be further explored, and suggests some possible approaches that could be valuable in future toxicological studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Psychoactives)

Open AccessTechnical Note

Driving under the Influence of Psychotropic Substances: A Technical Interpretation

Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira

and

Teresa Magalhães

Psychoactives 2022, 1(1), 7-15; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives1010002 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 956

Abstract

This technical clinical and forensic note is designed to interpret the influence that psychoactive (or psychotropic) substances may have on driving. The present interpretation is restricted to the four groups of substances (i.e., cannabinoids, cocaine and metabolites, opiates and amphetamines and derivatives) outlined in Annex V of Ordinance No. 902-B/2007 of 13 August and it is expected that can be extrapolated to other jurisdictions besides Portugal. This work is presented in a pragmatic and objective way, avoiding the clinical, physiological, pathophysiological, and toxicological aspects that would hinder understanding and impair the usefulness and applicability of its content. The evaluation of the state of influence by psychotropic substances is a complex clinical and forensic subject especially due interindividual variability and concomitant consumption of other substances that may predispose to pharmacological interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Psychoactives)

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