Margaret F Bedillion, Catherine F Moore, Elise M Weerts, Caroline A Arout, Hannah M Harris, Margaret Haney
{"title":"Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder: Preclinical and Clinical Models.","authors":"Margaret F Bedillion, Catherine F Moore, Elise M Weerts, Caroline A Arout, Hannah M Harris, Margaret Haney","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_598","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2025_598","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is increasingly prevalent, and there are no FDA-approved medications to facilitate its treatment. Research on the development of CUD pharmacotherapies lags compared to other substance use disorders (SUDs), partly due to the difficulty in establishing robust preclinical models of cannabinoid self-administration. This chapter evaluates the translational pipeline, from preclinical and human laboratory models to randomized controlled clinical trials for CUD, reviewing medication effects observed within these models and discussing the challenges in translating preclinical and human laboratory findings, particularly regarding efficacy endpoints (e.g., prolonged abstinence versus a reduction in use). The chapter concludes by addressing future directions for improving translational validity and optimizing therapeutic development for CUD.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"249-296"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12794654/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144783756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role of Cannabinoids and the Endocannabinoid System in the Treatment and Regulation of Nausea and Vomiting.","authors":"Erin M Rock, Linda A Parker","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_554","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_554","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite using the recommended anti-emetic treatments, control of nausea and vomiting is still an unmet need for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Few properly controlled clinical trials have evaluated the potential of exogenously administered cannabinoids or manipulations of the endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system to treat nausea and vomiting. In this chapter, we explore the pre-clinical and human clinical trial evidence for the potential of exogenous cannabinoids and manipulations of the eCB system to reduce nausea and vomiting. Although there are limited high-quality human clinical trials, pre-clinical evidence suggests that cannabinoids and manipulations of the eCB system have anti-nausea/anti-emetic potential. The pre-clinical anti-nausea/anti-emetic evidence highlights the need for further evaluation of cannabinoids and manipulations of eCBs and other fatty acid amides in clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"339-387"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Anxiety and Affective Symptoms Related to the Use of Classic Psychedelics: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Grace Viljoen, Felix Betzler","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_534","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_534","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is a large and rapidly growing body of literature investigating the therapeutic effects of classic psychedelics in affective and anxiety disorders, but very few studies have examined the inverse of this, that is, the potential for psychedelics to inflict anxiety and affective symptoms. A systematic literature search was performed and 39 papers were included in the final review to qualitatively synthesize the current literature on anxiety and affective disorders related to the use of classic psychedelics. Persisting disorders were less frequent but generally occurred in individuals who presented with several risk factors (overdose, polydrug use, unstructured recreational setting, psychosocial stress, personal/familial psychiatric histories). When psychedelics were administered in clinical studies under the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy, the incidence of enduring anxiety and affective symptoms was low. In most cases, acute transient anxiety emerged and resolved during the dosing session without the need for additional treatment interventions. The nuance of such cases is discussed, shedding light on the role of emotional catharsis in the therapeutic process. Several suggestions are proposed to enhance patient safety including strengthening the therapeutic alliance, ensuring adequate mental preparation, acclimating to high doses and providing on-going therapeutic support.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"241-270"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142460390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Guruism and Cultic Social Dynamics in Psychedelic Practices and Organisations.","authors":"Jules Evans, Joseph Holcomb Adams","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_535","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_535","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This chapter explores the risks of guruism and cultic social dynamics in organisations that work with psychedelic drugs, which include therapist offices, clinics, research departments, retreat centres, training programmes, NGOs, underground ceremonies and new religious movements. It has been hypothesised, and argued by experienced practitioners, that psychedelics can increase suggestibility, amplify transference and facilitate an intense form of projective mechanisms in the recipients. They may thereby lead to ego-inflation and feelings of grandiosity and omnipotence in those giving the drugs and intensify cultic social dynamics in psychedelic communities - all of which can create conditions that make cases of harm and misconduct more likely to occur and go unreported. This chapter briefly introduces the terms 'guruism' and 'cultic social dynamics' and how these dynamics can lead to harm and abuse and then discusses how psychedelic drugs might amplify these processes, before outlining possible safeguards.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"495-511"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142926510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natalia Szejko, Kamila Saramak, Kirsten R Müller-Vahl
{"title":"The Use of Cannabis-Based Medicine in Selected Neurological Disorders.","authors":"Natalia Szejko, Kamila Saramak, Kirsten R Müller-Vahl","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_564","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_564","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cannabis-based medicine (CBM) is used in a wide variety of different neurological disorders. While the use of CBM in the treatment of pain, AIDS wasting, loss of appetite, and spasticity is well established, CBM application in movement disorders and neurodegenerative disorders is still an emerging topic. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize current evidence behind the use of CBM in selected neurological diseases, mainly movement and neurodegenerative disorders. The best evidence for efficacy of CBM is for Tourette syndrome resulting in an improvement of tics and psychiatric comorbidities. In this indication, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing CBMs are recommended. There is limited evidence that CBMs are also effective in Parkinson's disease in which they may improve tremor, but also non-motor symptoms such as pain and sleeping problems. With respect to other neurodegenerative diseases, there is limited evidence that CBMs may improve behavioral symptoms in Huntington's disease. In addition, it has been speculated that CBMs may have neuroprotective effects, but this has not yet been confirmed in the clinical setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"433-454"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Onintza Sagredo, María Gómez-Ruiz, Eva de Lago
{"title":"Ageing, Neurodegeneration and the Endocannabinoid System.","authors":"Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Onintza Sagredo, María Gómez-Ruiz, Eva de Lago","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_597","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2025_597","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Numerous studies carried out in the last 30-40 years have strongly demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system exerts important modulatory functions in the central nervous system (CNS). These neuromodulatory functions encompass the whole life of animals, with specific activities during neurodevelopment (prenatal, postnatal and adolescent periods), adulthood and possibly senescence too. However, this is the life stage less investigated in relation with the endocannabinoid system to date. In the aged brain, the activity of this system appears to be altered, which contributes to subtle impairments that typically occur during ageing in learning and memory, motor behaviour, social behaviour and other neurobiological functions. Some of the changes in endocannabinoid activity may represent a process to attenuate ageing-related impairment in the brain function, which is consistent with its role as a pro-homeostatic system. An important observation is that these alterations become extreme when normal brain ageing acquires pathological characteristics, as happens in chronic neurodegenerative disorders. This includes the cannabinoid type-1 (CB<sub>1</sub>) receptor downregulation or impairment in its signalling and the increase in endocannabinoid-inactivating enzymes, both hypothesised to contribute to pathogenic events. By contrast, elevated levels of endocannabinoids due to a reduced Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacyl glycerol lipase (MAGL) expression and the upregulation of cannabinoid type-2 (CB<sub>2</sub>) receptors may in turn serve as endogenous pro-homeostatic adaptations against brain impairment. This review synthesises information on: (i) subtle alterations in the endocannabinoid system in the senescent brain in the absence of pathology, with the purpose of demonstrating that these alterations are representative of the extreme changes experienced by this system in the brain pathological ageing; and (ii) the development of neuroprotective therapies based on the pharmacological management of specific endocannabinoid targets to combat neurodegenerative pathologies. Together, research in this area comes at a critical time as global lifespan is increasing, incidence of age-related neurodegenerative disorders is expanding, and the unmet need for efficacious neuroprotective treatments is a public health necessity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"209-248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144706703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toxicology and Pharmacological Interactions of Classic Psychedelics.","authors":"Kelan Thomas","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_508","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_508","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As psychedelics are being investigated for more medical indications, it has become important to characterize the adverse effects and pharmacological interactions with these medications. This chapter will summarize what is known about the toxicology and drug-drug interactions for classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, mescaline, 2C-B, Bromo-DragonFLY, and 25X-NBOMe.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"43-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141747726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mazdak M Bradberry, Paul S Appelbaum, Natalie Gukasyan
{"title":"Informed Consent in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.","authors":"Mazdak M Bradberry, Paul S Appelbaum, Natalie Gukasyan","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_559","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Humans have long used classical serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, for a variety of purposes. Entactogens, such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), emerged during the twentieth century and have likewise seen use in a broad range of settings. Interest has arisen in the use of classical psychedelics and entactogens, together termed \"psychedelics,\" for therapeutic purposes in Western clinical settings. Care in these settings is governed by standards for the communication and assumption of risk in the process of informed consent. Rigorous informed consent standards in psychedelic medicine are not only essential for quality care but also critical to the mitigation of risk, particularly in research settings and for vulnerable individuals. This chapter describes practical elements of informed consent in psychedelic therapy, with a focus on effective communication of the risks and potential benefits of classical psychedelic and entactogen treatments as they are currently understood.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"469-493"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142909592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cannabinoid-based Pharmacology for the Management of Substance Use Disorders.","authors":"M Á Luján, Y Kim, L Y Zhang, J F Cheer","doi":"10.1007/7854_2024_551","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2024_551","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the last two decades, the endocannabinoid system has emerged as a crucial modulator of motivation and emotional processing. Due to its widespread neuroanatomical distribution and characteristic retrograde signaling nature, cannabinoid type I receptors and their endogenous ligands finely orchestrate somatic and axon terminal activity of dopamine neurons. Owing to these unique features, this signaling system is a promising pharmacological target to ameliorate dopamine-mediated drug-seeking behaviors while circumventing the adverse side effects of, for instance, dopaminergic antagonists. Despite considerable preclinical efforts, an agreement on the efficacy of endocannabinoid-targeting compounds for treating drug substance use disorders in humans has not been reached. In the following chapter, we will summarize preclinical and clinical evidence addressing the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids and endocannabinoid-targeting compounds in substance use disorders. To bridge the gap between animal and clinical research, we capitalize on studies evaluating the impact of endocannabinoid-targeting compounds in relevant settings, such as the management of drug relapse. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of novel cannabinoid compounds that hold promise for treating substance use disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"297-338"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142982954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to: Genetic Tools in Rodents to Study Cannabinoid Functions.","authors":"Krisztina Monory, Inigo Ruiz de Azua, Beat Lutz","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_584","DOIUrl":"10.1007/7854_2025_584","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"455"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144793765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}