Understanding the evolving nature of novel psychoactive substances: Mapping 10 years of research

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is an umbrella term used to describe a heterogeneous group of compounds that mimic the effects of existing drugs and whose demand and use rapidly emerge, change, or even vanish in the drug market. The novelty of this global phenomenon and its dynamic nature represent major challenges for the scientific community that constantly requires timely evidence-based inputs. Our aim is to review the literature on NPS over the past decade and compare its temporal evolution according to the topics presented at the International Conference series on NPS which is the largest scientific event in the field (now at its 10th edition). Our analysis shows that although the themes being covered largely overlap with a previous scientometric review, some new clusters not yet consolidated in the scientific literature have recently emerged. We have also found the NPS Conference materials anticipate the scientific literature by approximately 2.5 years. Such findings provide new insights on the latest NPS trends while addressing existing knowledge gaps characterizing the rapidly evolving field of NPS and emphasizing the importance of timely information sharing at the global level.