ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2025
Neurotoxicity mechanisms and clinical implications of six common recreational drugs.
Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Comparative efficacy of aripiprazole and paliperidone to treatment-as-usual in managing stimulant-induced psychosis: a 24-month randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Trial
- Lamotrigine Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Working-Memory Impairment and Is Associated with Changes in Neuroinflammatory, Oxidative-Stress, and Apoptosis-Related Markers.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Rising trends in dementia and psychoactive drug-related mortality in the United States, 2000-2023. A retrospective analysis using CDC WONDER.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- Catastrophic Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury Following Influenza A Illness in a Young Woman: A Case Report.Cureus · 2026Article
- Investigation of Serum Claudin-5 Levels in Patients with Heroin Addiction.Medeniyet medical journal · 2026Article
- Neurodegeneration and Homelessness: A Bidirectional Relationship Shaping Health and Vulnerability.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2026Review
- Oxidative and histopathological changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex following light-at-night and methamphetamine exposure.BMC neuroscience · 2026Article
- Clinical research progress of esketamine in perioperative neuroprotection: from mechanisms to therapeutic neuroprotection.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- The emerging role of autophagy in the rewarding and stimulant behaviors in models of substance use disorder.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Navigating dose-effect complexities and challenges in cannabinoid therapy for aging-related neurobiological changes.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Aerobic exercise for substance use disorders: therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Progress in the Application of Esketamine During the Perioperative Period.Drug design, development and therapy · 2026Review
- A prospective observational cohort study: neurotoxic processes associated with psychiatric symptoms in heroin use disorder: the kynurenine pathway and neopterin levels.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The effect of different types of drugs on balance and reaction ability of female abstainers.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Methamphetamine Induces Metallothionein 1 Expression and an Inflammatory Phenotype in Primary Human HIV-Infected Macrophages.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Neuroprotective Effects of Empagliflozin Against Methamphetamine-Induced Withdrawal Syndrome in Mice: Involvement of Bdnf, Tlr4, and JNK Signaling Pathways and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPRArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The recreational abuse of addictive drugs poses considerable challenges to public health, leading to widespread neurotoxicity and neurological dysfunction. This review comprehensively examines the neurotoxic mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment strategies associated with six commonly abused substances: methamphetamine, cocaine, synthetic cathinones, ketamine, nitrous oxide and heroin. Despite their diverse pharmacological properties, these drugs converge on shared neurotoxic pathways, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, and neuroinflammation. Psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine, cocaine and synthetic cathinones, disrupt monoaminergic neurotransmission, causing cognitive impairment, psychiatric disturbances, and neurovascular damage. Dissociative anesthetics, including ketamine and nitrous oxide, impair glutamatergic transmission and mitochondrial function, thereby exacerbating excitotoxicity and neuronal apoptosis. Opioids, such as heroin, primarily target the brain's reward system and induce oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and cerebrovascular complications. Treatment strategies remain limited, focusing on symptomatic management, neuroprotective interventions, and behavioral therapies. Emerging approaches, such as antioxidants, NMDA receptor modulators, and cognitive rehabilitation, show promise but require further validation. By highlighting the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic challenges, this review provides a foundation for developing targeted interventions and advancing research on drug-induced neurotoxicity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.