Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Nov 12;34(46):15150-8.
doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3223-14.2014.

Baths salts, spice, and related designer drugs: the science behind the headlines

Michael H Baumann  1 , Ernesto Solis Jr  2 , Lucas R Watterson  3 , Julie A Marusich  4 , William E Fantegrossi  5 , Jenny L Wiley  4
Affiliations
Review

Baths salts, spice, and related designer drugs: the science behind the headlines

Michael H Baumann et al. J Neurosci. .

Abstract

The abuse of synthetic psychoactive substances known as "designer drugs," or "new psychoactive substances" (NPS), is increasing at an alarming rate. NPS are purchased as alternatives to traditional illicit drugs of abuse and are manufactured to circumvent laws regulating the sale and use of controlled substances. Synthetic cathinones (i.e., "bath salts") and synthetic cannabinoids (i.e., "spice") are two types of NPS that have received substantial media attention. Although low recreational doses of bath salts or spice compounds can produce desirable effects, high doses or chronic exposure often leads to dangerous medical consequences, including psychosis, violent behaviors, tachycardia, hyperthermia, and even death. Despite the popularity of NPS, there is a paucity of scientific data about these drugs. Here we provide a brief up-to-date review describing the mechanisms of action and neurobiological effects of synthetic cathinones and cannabinoids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Chemical structures of synthetic cathinones found in bath salts NPS and their relationship to the plant-derived compound cathinone.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Chemical structures of synthetic cannabinoids found in spice NPS and their relationship to the plant-derived compound THC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aarde SM, Huang PK, Creehan KM, Dickerson TJ, Taffe MA. The novel recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a potent psychomotor stimulant: self-administration and locomotor activity in rats. Neuropharmacology. 2013a;71:130–140. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.04.003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aarde SM, Angrish D, Barlow DJ, Wright MJ, Jr, Vandewater SA, Creehan KM, Houseknecht KL, Dickerson TJ, Taffe MA. Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) supports intravenous self-administration in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. Addict Biol. 2013b;18:786–799. doi: 10.1111/adb.12038. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anizan S, Ellefsen K, Concheiro M, Suzuki M, Rice KC, Baumann MH, Huestis MA. 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and metabolites quantification in human and rat plasma by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta. 2014;827:54–63. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2014.04.015. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Atwood BK, Lee D, Straiker A, Widlanski TS, Mackie K. CP47,497-C8 and JWH073, commonly found in ‘Spice’ herbal blends, are potent and efficacious CB(1) cannabinoid receptor agonists. Eur J Pharmacol. 2011;659:139–145. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.01.066. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aung MM, Griffin G, Huffman JW, Wu M, Keel C, Yang B, Showalter VM, Abood ME, Martin BR. Influence of the N-1 alkyl chain length of cannabimimetic indoles upon CB(1) and CB(2) receptor binding. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2000;60:133–140. doi: 10.1016/S0376-8716(99)00152-0. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources