Kavalactones support motivation to move during intensive training in males preparing for military special operations forces.

Background: Military special operators, elite athletes, and others requiring uninterrupted optimal performance currently lack options for sleep and mood support without performance-inhibiting effects. Kavalactones, derived from the root of the kava plant ( Forst), have been shown to elevate mood and wellbeing by producing a feeling of relaxation without addiction or cognitive impairment.

Methods: In this placebo-controlled, crossover study (NCT05381025), we investigated the effects of 2 weeks of kavalactones use on cortisol (diurnal salivary), sleep (RSQ-W; Restorative Sleep Questionnaire, Weekly), mood (DASS-21; Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21), and motivation state to expend (Move) or conserve (Rest) energy (CRAVE; Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure, Right Now) in a cohort of 15 healthy, physically fit young males engaged in a rigorous, two-a-day preparation class for special operations forces qualification.

A new digitized method of the compulsive gnawing test revealed dopaminergic activity of salvinorin A in vivo.

The compulsive gnawing (CG) test has been used for numerous years as an assay to determine the dopaminergic activity of various compounds. We developed a new method of quantification via a digitization step which allowed a more precise measurement of the gnawing activity. It was the aim of the present study to explore possible dopaminergic effects of salvinorin A (SA), the major active compound of Salvia divinorum, using the new digitized CG test.

Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A: an update on pharmacology and analytical methodology.

Salvia divinorum L. (Lamiaceae) has been used for centuries by the Mazatecan culture and has gained popularity as a recreational drug in recent years. Its potent hallucinogenic effects seen in case reports has triggered research and led to the discovery of the first highly selective non-nitrogenous kappa opioid receptor agonist salvinorin A.

Fragments of ATP synthase mediate plant perception of insect attack.

Plants can perceive a wide range of biotic attackers and respond with targeted induced defenses. Specificity in plant non-self-recognition occurs either directly by perception of pest-derived elicitors or indirectly through resistance protein recognition of host targets that are inappropriately proteolyzed. Indirect plant perception can occur during interactions with pathogens, yet evidence for analogous events mediating the detection of insect herbivores remains elusive.