Novas substâncias psicoativas: efeitos psicofarmacológicos e métodos analíticos de identificação

Abstract

New Psychoactive Substances ( are substances of abuse that are not internationally controlled by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, but which pose a great threat to public health. The increasing use of NPS is associated with more intense effects, lower cost, in addition to not being identified in standard drug tests. NPS can be classified according to their main action on the central nervous system ( being they stimulants, cannabimimetics, depressa nts and CNS hallucinogens. The use of NPS can cause strong dependence, however the consequences of long term use are still unclear for most synthetic drugs. Another problem is the difficulty for authorities to identify and control these substances, given t he speed with which a new NPS enters the market, therefore this is the main analytical challenge for field instruments and laboratories in charge of detecting and quantifying these compounds. In this context, the objective of this work was to carry out a s urvey about the main effects of NP S on the CNS according to their psychopharmacological activity, this being the third chapter, and in the fourth chapter, a systematic mapping was carried out on the main analytical methods validated for identification of N SP in biological samples, also addressing the different sample preparation methods, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each analytical method. It is hoped that the present work will facilitate the understanding of the main mechanisms of action and their potential health risks caused by this emerging class of drugs and their main mechanisms of action, and even that the synthesis of analytical information may facilitate the choice of best method to be applied by the authorities in the identificati on of NP S