Abstract
The use of ‘new psychoactive substances’ appears to be increasingly common. The aim of this study was to examine biological and personality determinants in individuals who choose to use these substances, which may help in the prevention and treatment of psychoactive substance use disorders. The study group consisted of 374 male volunteers; all were users of ‘new psychoactive substances’ (NPS). The NPS users were recruited after they had abstained—for at least 3 months—from any substance of abuse in addiction treatment facilities. The NPS patients and the control subjects were examined by a psychiatrist using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scales. The real-time PCR method was used for genotyping. When we compared the controls with the study group, statistically significant interactions were found between DAT1 polymorphism, neuroticism, and NPS use. NPS use and DAT1 polymorphism were associated with a higher level of neuroticism on the NEO-FFI scale. The study group of NPS users showed a higher severity of anxiety symptoms, both in terms of trait and state, compared to the control group. The results may support the idea that neuroticism and anxiety correlate strongly with coping motives for using NPS.
Highlights
The term ‘new psychoactive substance’ was defined by the European Union as a new narcotic or psychotropic drug, in pure form or in a preparation, that is not scheduled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, but which may pose a public health threat comparable to that posed by substances listed in those conventions (Council of the European Union decision2005/387/JHA) [1].The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognizes seven types of designer drugs: cannabinoids, phenethylamines, phencyclidines or arylcyclohexamines, tryptamines, piperazines, pipradrols, N-ring systems [2]
In a study by Tzeng and colleagues [32] on a large cohort of Chinese male subjects diagnosed with amphetamine use disorder avoidance, they did not find an association between the DAT1 gene and amphetamine dependence
In a previous study [31], we showed that in the examined group of patients diagnosed with substance use disorder, which is different to NPS use disorder, no main effects of DAT1 polymorphisms were found for any personality dimensions assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), but the main effects of
Summary
The term ‘new psychoactive substance’ was defined by the European Union as a new narcotic or psychotropic drug, in pure form or in a preparation, that is not scheduled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, but which may pose a public health threat comparable to that posed by substances listed in those conventions (Council of the European Union decision2005/387/JHA) [1].The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognizes seven types of designer drugs: cannabinoids, phenethylamines, phencyclidines or arylcyclohexamines, tryptamines, piperazines, pipradrols, N-ring systems [2]. The speed at which new psychoactive substances have been introduced to the market has stabilized in recent years. Each year, the EU Early Warning System detects more than 50 new psychoactive substances, which increases the pool of previously reported new psychoactive substances. These substances resemble long-known psychoactive substances used without medical prescription, but they are not controlled under international drug laws. At the end of 2019, the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) monitored over 790 new psychoactive substances, 53 of which were first reported in Europe in 2019
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