Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology最新文献

Induction of negative mood increases tobacco choice in dependent smokers; however, less is known about the mechanisms behind this. This study addressed this gap by applying a computational model of value-based decision making to tobacco and tobacco-unrelated choices following mood manipulation. Using a preregistered, within-subject design, 49 daily tobacco smokers (>10 daily cigarettes) watched two different videos which primed them to experience negative and positive mood (tobacco valuation and devaluation, respectively). Participants completed self-report measures of mood and craving to smoke before and after priming, followed by a two-alternative forced-choice task with (separate) blocks of tobacco-related and tobacco-unrelated (animal) images. On each block, participants selected the image that they previously rated higher. A drift-diffusion model was fitted to the reaction time and error data to estimate evidence accumulation processes and response thresholds during the different blocks. After watching videos intended to induce negative mood, happiness scores were lower (p < .001, d = 1.16), while sadness and craving to smoke scores were higher (both ps < .001, ds > .60) compared to after watching videos intended to induce positive mood. However, contrary to hypotheses, the experimental manipulation did not robustly affect evidence accumulation rates (F = 1.15, p = .29, η_p² = .02) or response thresholds (F = .07, p = .79, η_p² = .00) for either tobacco or tobacco-unrelated decisions. Manipulation of mood in daily smokers did not lead to alterations in the internal processes that precede value-based decisions made about tobacco and tobacco-unrelated cues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Ketamine is increasingly used in community clinics as a long-term treatment for different psychiatric and pain conditions, including substance use disorders. Data are lacking, however, regarding the potential influence of ketamine on other substance use. In this secondary analysis, we aimed to explore the relationship between medical ketamine and other substance use among real-world patients by combining quantitative and qualitative data. In an online anonymous pilot survey (N = 201), patients rated change in other substance use since medical ketamine initiation and elaborated on their subjective experiences. Most patients self-reported positive/desirable change (54.7%) or no change in substance use (44.3%). Participants reporting past problematic substance use had significantly greater positive change compared with the groups of participants reporting present or no history of problematic substance use (ps < .020). Participants reported positive outcomes such as reduced substance use due to reduced need to self-medicate for coping, reduced craving, or enhanced motivation to quit use. Among participants with minimal or no substance use, ketamine did not appear to induce or increase drug-using behaviors. However, there were some reports of risky behaviors such as openness to using other psychedelics or ketamine used recreationally as a substitute for alcohol. Several implications for providers are discussed. More targeted quantitative and qualitative research is needed to fully characterize all patients but especially those at risk for potentially harmful nonmedical substance use. Such research could inform regulation efforts on safety, screening, monitoring, and patient and provider education, to maximize benefits and minimize risks related to medical ketamine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Nicotine pouches (NPs) contain no tobacco leaf but instead are filled with nicotine powder, flavorants, and pH adjusters. There are very few independent (i.e., non-industry-funded/affiliated) studies regarding the effects of NPs. The purpose of this industry-independent study is to examine NP effects in people who use smokeless tobacco (SLT). Twenty-four participants completed four sessions that included three NP conditions (2, 4, and 8 mg labeled total nicotine content; "on!" brand, Altria, Richmond, Virginia) and participants' own brand (OB) SLT. Participants completed two 30-min administration periods per session, and outcomes included plasma nicotine concentration as well as subjective and behavioral economic measures. Results indicate that the 8 mg NP did not differ significantly from OB across physiological and subjective measures; the 4 mg NP differed from OB and 8 mg on some measures, and the 2 mg NP reliably delivered less nicotine and reduced abstinence symptoms less effectively when compared to OB and the 8 mg NP. Study results offer preliminary support for the notion that higher nicotine content NPs may substitute for SLT in people who use SLT regularly, while lower nicotine content NPs may not. Overall, labeled nicotine content influences the nicotine delivery and abstinence symptom suppression of "on!" brand NP, and nicotine content and delivery should be considered when assessing the individual and public health impact of NP regulations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

E-cigarette use is prevalent among young adults, with "ice" e-cigarettes/liquids that combine sweet and cooling flavors becoming increasingly popular. This study examines if an "ice" component (e.g., menthol) alters liking, sensory experiences, and reward of sweet-flavored nicotine e-liquids among young adults. A double-blinded laboratory session was conducted with past-month e-cigarette users aged 18-20 (N = 40). Participants were exposed in random order to a sweet-flavored (watermelon) e-liquid with and without menthol in two 10-puff bouts. Both e-liquids contained 36 mg/ml nicotine salt and 50:50 propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin. Participants rated flavor liking and overall vaping experience using the Labeled Hedonic Scale, sensory effects using generalized Labeled Magnitude Scales, and reward effects using the Drug Effects Questionnaire. Linear mixed models analyzed outcomes with flavor condition, sex, and their interaction as fixed effects, adjusting for flavor order. Participants (average age = 19.1 years, SD = 0.8; 52.5% female and 67.5% White) used e-cigarettes on average 6.2 (SD = 1.5) days/week. Participants reported marginally less liking of the overall vaping experience for the watermelon flavor with menthol (M = -3.92 [SE = 3.16]) compared to the watermelon flavor without menthol (M = 1.27 [SE = 3.16], p = .05). No main effects of flavor, sex, or their interactions were observed in sensory and reward effects (ps > .05). Among our sample of young adult e-cigarette users, adding a cooling component to a sweet-flavored e-liquid did not result in altered liking, sensory, or reward effects compared to sweet-flavored e-liquid without cooling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a psychoactive botanical native to Southeast Asia increasingly used in the United States for various self-reported benefits, including sleep improvement. However, empirical evidence concerning kratom's effects on sleep is limited. Here, we examined the association between bedtime kratom use and self-reported sleep outcomes in naturalistic settings across consecutive days, while also exploring sex and chronic pain status as potential moderators. A secondary analysis was conducted using the data from a 15-day ecological momentary assessment study of 357 U.S. adults who reported regularly using kratom. Participants made daily reports of their bedtime kratom use and rated their sleep duration and quality. Linear mixed-effects models assessed associations between bedtime kratom use and sleep outcomes, with sex and chronic pain status as moderators, controlling for age. Bedtime kratom use occurred on 23.4% of days and was associated with modest increases in sleep duration (13 min) and perceived quality (5.93-point increase on a 0-100 scale). Female respondents reported greater improvements in sleep quality (but not duration) than male respondents. Participants with chronic pain reported greater improvements in sleep duration and quality compared to those without chronic pain. Bedtime kratom use is associated with modest sleep duration and quality improvements, particularly in adults with chronic pain, and better sleep quality in female respondents. These findings among experienced kratom consumers suggest the need for human laboratory studies in kratom-naïve participants to determine causality and underlying mechanisms, which could help inform clinical guidance and policy as kratom use continues to rise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Cannabis is increasingly used for managing chronic pain, despite the low quality and inconsistency of most evidence from randomized controlled trials and the divergent expert opinions and guidelines issued by academic societies. In this perspective piece, we suggest a way forward. The clinical trials have focused on traditional chronic pain outcomes (such as pain severity and interference, as well as physical and emotional functioning). However, qualitative studies suggest that many individuals perceive cannabis as beneficial not because it directly reduces pain but because it alters their psychological responses to it and improves other important outcomes, such as role and social functioning, sleep quality, and opioid substitution, which are largely overlooked in clinical trials of cannabis for chronic pain. We contend that the true clinical potential and limitations of cannabis for pain management may be fundamentally misunderstood if research continues to prioritize conventional chronic pain outcomes alone. We call for the integration of perspectives from people with lived experience in identifying meaningful clinical outcomes for future clinical trials on cannabis and chronic pain. Such a shift would clarify cannabis's true benefits and limitations, ultimately guiding more nuanced, evidence-based, and personalized treatment approaches for chronic pain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Nearly 2 million people had a diagnosis of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) in 2023 and overdose deaths involving psychostimulants are increasing. Given that there are no currently approved U.S. Food and Drug Administration medications for MUD, novel treatments are needed to complement standard of care behavioral treatments. Neuromodulation using transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) has the capacity to noninvasively and precisely target subcortical structures, such as the nucleus accumbens, a structure integral to the reward neurocircuitry. Previous findings in individuals with opioid use disorder have demonstrated the potential of FUS in reducing substance craving and use; however, to date, no study has examined the effects of FUS for primary MUD. The objective of the current case study was to evaluate the safety and impact of nucleus accumbens FUS on methamphetamine craving (via a cue-induced craving paradigm) and use (via urine toxicology and self-report) in a man in his mid-20s with primary MUD. The participant received a 20-min session of low-intensity FUS (220 kHz) neuromodulation and completed follow-up visits 1-, 7-, 30-, 60-, and 90-days postprocedure. Results demonstrated that the FUS procedure was safe and well-tolerated. Cue induced craving acutely reduced during the procedure with sustained complete suppression throughout the 90-day follow-up (baseline craving rating was nine out of 10 [where 10 represents maximum craving]; craving at follow-up visits were consistently zero out of 10). Methamphetamine negative urine toxicology was observed during all follow-up visits, contrasting his pre-FUS use patterns of multiple episodes of use per week. While promising, larger, sham-controlled, randomized studies are warranted to determine the potential of FUS for MUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Naloxone administration can precipitate opioid withdrawal, concerns about which may result in hesitancy to use this life-saving intervention. Preclinical and clinical research suggests that cannabinoids may reduce the symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal. This proof-of-concept study sought to test the effects of vaporized cannabis pretreatment (T^-15 min) on naloxone-precipitated (T0-T⁺50) withdrawal using the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS, range = 0-48) as the primary dependent measure. Evaluating the safety of this drug combination was the secondary aim, assessed using vital signs. Before a major methodological redesign, a single participant (male, 52) with opioid use disorder completed testing. The ∼4-week inpatient study began with stabilization on oral morphine (120 mg/day). During testing, the following dose combinations of vaped cannabis (V-CB) and intranasal naloxone (IN-NLX) were tested: (a) IN-NLX 0.0 mg + V-CB 25.0 mg, (b) IN-NLX 4.0 mg + V-CB 0.0 mg, (c) IN-NLX 0.0 mg + V-CB 12.5 mg, (d) IN-NLX 4.0 mg + V-CB 12.5 mg, (e) IN-NLX 0.0 mg + V-CB 0.0 mg, and (f) IN-NLX 4.0 mg + V-CB 25.0 mg. Naloxone alone resulted in a COWS score of 22 at T+30. CB pretreatment (12.5 mg and 25.0 mg) reduced COWS scores at T+30 to 17 and 14, respectively. Active NLX and V-CB administered in combination resulted in elevated heart rate and blood pressure, though not to a greater extent than NLX alone. This study found that the addition of a cannabinoid reduced the severity of NLX-precipitated withdrawal and supported the continued investigation into combined NLX + cannabinoid formulations as overdose reversal agents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Impulsivity and individual differences in alcohol sensitivity (e.g., subjective response to alcohol) have been related to alcohol use behaviors, but scant research has examined how these two constructs are related to each other. Consequently, this pilot study aimed (1) to examine associations between impulsivity domains (impulsive action, impulsive choice, and impulsive personality features) and alcohol sensitivity during alcohol administration in the laboratory; (2) to test daily associations between impulsivity domains and sensitivity to reward during ecological momentary assessment (EMA); and (3) to explore consistency between alcohol sensitivity scores in the lab and EMA. Participants (N = 26; 38.5% male, 61.5% female) were students (graduate and undergraduate) who engaged in recent (past-month) alcohol use and heavy drinking in the past 6 months. Participants completed an in-person alcohol administration session followed by 10 days of EMA. For Aim 1, results indicated that individuals with a greater lack of perseverance reported greater cravings and willingness to drive during the alcohol administration session. Negative and positive urgency were positively associated with liking the alcoholic beverage. For Aim 2, within-person associations revealed that greater than usual lack of premeditation was associated with greater craving while drinking, and greater than usual lack of perseverance was related to less willingness to drive. For Aim 3, subjective effects for liking, craving, and stimulation scores were greater during the EMA portion as compared to the laboratory session. Our findings suggested that individual differences in some impulsive personality features played a role in the motivation to consume alcohol in the laboratory and real world. Future research should replicate these pilot findings and expand on contextual factors that may be driving the present study's associations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

This study investigated the therapeutic effects of sertraline in pediatric patients diagnosed with depression, focusing on its impact on serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serotonin (5-HT), and inflammatory cytokines. A total of 164 pediatric patients were randomly divided into two groups: the sertraline and control groups, with 82 participants in each. Depressive symptoms were evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Serum concentrations of BDNF, 5-HT, and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were quantified using ELISA. Results demonstrated no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups. After 4 weeks, both groups showed reductions in HAMD-17 and CDRS-R scores and interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α levels, as well as increases in BDNF and 5-HT levels. Notably, at the 2-week mark, the sertraline group had significantly lower scores in both depression scales and inflammatory cytokines compared to the control group (fluoxetine treatment), indicating an early onset of action. Despite these findings, by 4 weeks, differences in HAMD-17 and CDRS-R scores, BDNF, and 5-HT levels between the two groups were no longer significant, although the sertraline group maintained lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, the sertraline group reported higher rates of early improvement and adverse events, though no significant differences in remission or response rates were found between the groups. Overall, sertraline demonstrates effectiveness in alleviating depressive symptoms in children during the initial treatment period, potentially via mechanisms involving BDNF, 5-HT, and inflammation modulation, although it presents a less favorable safety profile compared to fluoxetine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).