ReviewPharmacological reports : PR2021
N-acetylcysteine in substance use disorder: a lesson from preclinical and clinical research.
Review in Pharmacological reports : PR, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- N-acetylcysteine for patients with alcohol use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and their co-occurrence: a systematic review of placebo-controlled randomized trials.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of N-acetylcysteine on craving in substance use disorders (SUD): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- N-acetylcysteine for youth cannabis use disorder: randomized controlled trial main findings.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine as an adjuvant treatment for alcohol use disorder.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2025Trial
- N-acetylcysteine does not alter neurometabolite levels in non-treatment seeking adolescents who use alcohol heavily: A preliminary randomized clinical trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Trial
- Novel circUnc79 regulates morphine-induced reward memoryActa pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Article
- A single extinction-based treatment with N-Acetylcysteine produces long-term reduction in cocaine relapse.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- The effects of abused drugs on ferroptosis pathways: potential therapeutic targets for substance use disorders.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2026Review
- Selective Effects of Acutely Administered N-Acetyl-Cysteine in Rodent Models of Nicotine-Conditioned Behaviours.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- The Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on Behavioral Sensitization to Methamphetamine in Mice.Physiological research · 2025Article
- The Mechanism and Inflammatory Markers Involved in the Potential Use of N-acetylcysteine in Chronic Pain Management.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Exploring the potential link between ΔFosB andActa neuropsychiatrica · 2024Review
- In vivo Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Chamomile Extract against Procyclidine-Induced Oxidative Stress: Potential Application in Cancer Prevention.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2024Article
- Imaging neuroinflammation in individuals with substance use disorders.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2024Review
- Promising immunomodulators for management of substance and alcohol use disorders.Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2024Review
- L-NAC and L-NAC methyl ester prevent and overcome physical dependence to fentanyl in male rats.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Pharmacological Treatments for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Current Status and Future Targets.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2024Review
- N-Acetylcysteine normalizes brain oxidative stress and neuroinflammation observed after protracted ethanol abstinence: a preclinical study in long-term ethanol-experienced male rats.Psychopharmacology · 2023Article
- Are We Getting High Cause the Thrill is Gone?Journal of addiction psychiatry · 2023Article
- The Potential of N-acetyl Cysteine in Behavioral Addictions and Related Compulsive and Impulsive Behaviors and Disorders: a Scoping Review.Current addiction reports · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic brain condition, with compulsive and uncontrollable drug-seeking that leads to long-lasting and harmful consequences. The factors contributing to the development of SUD, as well as its treatment settings, are not fully understood. Alterations in brain glutamate homeostasis in humans and animals implicate a key role of this neurotransmitter in SUD, while the modulation of glutamate transporters has been pointed as a new strategy to diminish the excitatory glutamatergic transmission observed after drugs of abuse. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), known as a safe mucolytic agent, is involved in the regulation of this system and may be taken into account as a novel pharmacotherapy for SUD. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge on the ability of NAC to reduce drug-seeking behavior induced by psychostimulants, opioids, cannabinoids, nicotine, and alcohol in animals and humans. Preclinical studies showed a beneficial effect in animal models of SUD, while the clinical efficacy of NAC has not been fully established. In summary, NAC will be a small add-on to usual treatment and/or psychotherapy for SUD, however, further studies are required.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.