Synthetic Cathinones: Neurotoxic Health Hazards and Potential for Abuse

Synthetic cathinones (SCs) represent an alternative to the prevailing array of drugs of abuse, with this being attributable to a variety of factors pertaining to reward/reinforcement potency, apparent but not necessarily lower toxicity risk, and easy access in “alternative” marketplaces. SCs retain distinctive neuropharmacological profiles and the induction of a disparate behavioral spectrum relating to locomotor activity, learning effectiveness, anxiety, thermoregulation, and abuse liability.