- Adolescent-onset regular cannabis use is associated with altered neural and behavioural responses during anticipation and feedback of monetary reward and loss. [Journal Article]Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2026 Oct 17. [Online ahead of print]P
- CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study may help inform future research on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying changes in reward function and the resultant behavioural consequences of adolescent-onset cannabis use.
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- Synthetic cannabinoid-induced changes in thalamo-prefrontal gamma synchrony and thalamic high-voltage spindles. [Journal Article]Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2026 Oct 17. [Online ahead of print]P
- CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal that acute synthetic cannabinoid exposure produces a dissociation between local and long-range oscillatory dynamics in the thalamo-prefrontal circuit, which possibly is driven by increased thalamic rhythmic output. This pattern of network reorganization may underlie cannabinoid-induced deficits in sensorimotor gating and cognitive integration.
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- Beyond psychedelic exceptionalism: how people combine meditation with psychoactive substances, and how this relates to well-being. [Journal Article]Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2026 Oct 17. [Online ahead of print]P
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that combining meditation with substance use is not limited to psychedelics and should be studied within broader patterns of polysubstance use and meditation practice.
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- What goes up must comedown: prevalence rates, characteristics, and coping strategies concerning MDMA aftereffects. [Journal Article]Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2026 Oct 17. [Online ahead of print]P
- CONCLUSIONS: Post-acute negative effects of MDMA appear prevalent among recreational users in a cross-sectional sample, characterized by fatigue, negative affect, and elevated suicidal ideation. These findings highlight post-acute risks that warrant further investigation.
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- Serotonin 1B receptors expressed on forebrain excitatory neurons mediate the post-acute anxiolytic response to psilocybin in mice. [Journal Article]Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2026 Oct 17. [Online ahead of print]P
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings implicate 5-HT1BRs expressed on terminals of forebrain excitatory neurons as a potential circuit-level excitatory gating mechanism. Overall, these receptors may be important for a coordinated network reorganization following psilocybin that contributes to the anxiolytic behavioral effects.
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- Chemogenetic inhibition of the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex disrupts novelty-guided updating of spatial memories and alters hippocampal engram reactivation. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that VLO activity is selectively required when novelty must be interpreted relative to prior experience, implicating this region in evaluating change rather than detecting it. To assess hippocampal ensemble dynamics, we tagged neuronal ensembles, in the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) recruited during Updating, followed by quantification of overlap between Updating-tagged cells and ensembles reactivated at Test. We found that VLO inhibition reduced reactivation of Updating-tagged dDG ensembles, paralleling the behavioral impairments observed in the OUL task. These findings support a role for the VLO in hippocampal-dependent memory-updating and extend OFC models beyond reward contexts to include predictive updating of spatial memory representations.
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- Sex-specific exploration patterns and noradrenergic modulation in object recognition memory: Role of the perirhinal cortex. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings reveal sex differences in noradrenergic modulation of ORM. In females, NA acting via β2-AR supports memory formation through PRH-dependent familiarity, emphasizing the importance of sex as a biological variable in research.
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- Exploring the addictive potential of α-methylfentanyl and acetyl-α-methylfentanyl in animal models. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: α-methyl substitution selectively reduces reinforcing efficacy without altering reward perception; acetylation attenuates both reward and discriminative stimulus effects while preserving reinforcing capacity. µ-Opioid receptor signalling mediates relapse-like behaviour, supporting long-acting antagonists as potential interventions.
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- Is it safe-and ethical-to prescribe THC to youth? [Letter]
- The medical use of cannabis-derived products in children and adolescents has expanded beyond established indications for purified cannabidiol (CBD), with increasing investigation of CBD-rich extracts containing Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for neuropsychiatric conditions. Although preliminary studies suggest potential symptomatic benefits, the evidence remains limited by small samples, heterogen…
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- Acute anxiogenic effects of psilocybin and the related tryptamine, norbaeocystin, in male and female rats. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: PSIL and NOR exerted transient dose- and sex-specific effects on anxiety-like behavior, which may inform their use as novel therapeutics.
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- Drug repurposing of riluzole attenuates acquisition, accelerates extinction, and prevents reinstatement of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Riluzole attenuated ethanol-induced CPP, facilitated extinction, and reduced reinstatement in a dose and phase-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that riluzole influences multiple phases of ethanol-associated conditioned behavior and support its further investigation as a potential pharmacological strategy for alcohol use disorder.
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- Appetitive Pavlovian conditioned approach to reward location is reduced by both adrenergic and NMDA receptor antagonism at memory reconsolidation. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Propranolol and MK-801 can both disrupt reconsolidation of appetitive pavlovian memories under conditions that promote memory destabilisation. These findings demonstrate that β-adrenergic blockade can impair appetitive memory reconsolidation in a paradigm of conditioned approach to the reward location, challenging prior null findings and revitalising the potential for propranolol-based interventions in maladaptive reward-seeking behaviours.
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- Time-based prospective memory impairment in adults who smoke: the role of internal and external attention and cue-based intervention. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that adults who smoke present a dual deficit characterized by insufficient internal attention and reduced external attention effectiveness. However, reminders can effectively improve the TBPM performance of adults who smoke by reducing the demands of internal attention.
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- Co-use of cannabis and tobacco in the same occasion: Acute effects. A systematic review. [Review]
- CONCLUSIONS: In sum, the evidence for additive effects of cannabis and tobacco is mixed, with some studies reporting that cannabis and tobacco attenuate the effects of the other on cognition. There are inconclusive findings with respect to the combined effects of cannabis and tobacco on subjective effects and physiological outcomes. However, studies are limited and more large-scale studies that investigate the full range of diverse effects of cannabis and tobacco are needed.
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- Persistent effects of repeated adolescent and adult heroin vapor inhalation in female Wistar rats. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Repeated heroin vapor inhalation can produce lasting effects on nociception and anxiety-like behavior that persist for months after the exposure. Importantly, these findings suggest that adolescent exposure to heroin vapor produces specific effects on nociception that are not observed when exposure occurs in adulthood.
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