Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors - Targets for the Development of Drugs to Treat Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia and Alzheimers Disease

Title: Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors - Targets for the Development of Drugs to Treat Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia and Alzheimers Disease

Volume: 10 Issue: 2

Author(s): Simon N. Haydar and John Dunlop

Affiliation:

Abstract: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) have been strongly implicated as therapeutic targets for treating cognitive deficits in disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimers disease (AD). In particular α7 and α4β2 subtypeselective nAChR agonists and partial agonists have been developed as potential candidates for the treatment of schizophrenia, cognitive disorders (including Alzheimers disease), and inflammation. Further development of positive allosteric modulators were also recently reported in the literature. In this review we will cover recent developments focused on the above mentioned nAChR subtypes, starting from the most advanced clinical candidate followed by an overview of literature compounds where potency, selectivity, central nervous system access, pharmacological activity and pharmacokinetic properties are disclosed.

Cite this article as:

Haydar N. Simon and Dunlop John, Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors - Targets for the Development of Drugs to Treat Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia and Alzheimers Disease, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2010; 10 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802610790410983