Current state and prospect of pharmacological approaches to amphetamine-type stimulants dependence

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are the second most widely used addictive drugs in China. ATS dependence has become a serious public heath problem. Currently, there is no pharmacological treatment with established efficacy for inhibiting this addictive disorder. Changes of non-dopaminergic systems implicated in ATS dependence, such as GABAergic, cholinergic and glutamatergic systems, suggest that this addictive disorder be treated with drugs targeting either the dopaminergic system or non-dopaminergic system. This paper reviews pharmacological candidates, including the inhibitors of dopamine and serotonin transporters, the partial agonists of dopamine receptors, the antagonists of glutamate receptor, and the inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, which might be useful in the treatment of ATS dependence based on preclinical data. The prospect of novel anti-ATS dependence drugs being developed is also discussed.