Ro4938581 is a

nootropic Nootropics ( , or ) (colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, similar to adaptogens) are a wide range of natural or synthetic dietary supplement, supplements or drugs and other substances that are claimed to improve cognitive function ...

drug invented in 2009 by a team working for Hoffmann-La Roche, which acts as a subtype-selective inverse agonist at the α₅ subtype of the benzodiazepine binding site on the GABA_A

receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any structure which, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and responds to a ...

. It has good selectivity for the α₅ subtype and did not produce

convulsant A convulsant is a drug which induces convulsions and/or epileptic seizures, the opposite of an anticonvulsant. These drugs generally act as stimulants at low doses, but are not used for this purpose due to the risk of convulsions and consequent e ...

or anxiogenic effects in animal studies, making it a promising potential nootropic. Ro4938581 and a related derivative

basmisanil Basmisanil (; developmental codes RG-1662 and RO5186582) is a highly selective inverse agonist/negative allosteric modulator of α5 subunit-containing GABAA receptors which is under development by Roche for the treatment of cognitive impairmen ...

(RG-1662, RO5186582) have subsequently been investigated for the alleviation of

cognitive dysfunction Cognitive disorders (CDs), also known as neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving. Neurocognitive disorders i ...

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

References

Imidazobenzodiazepines Triazolobenzodiazepines GABAA receptor negative allosteric modulators Nootropics {{Nervous-system-drug-stub

See also

References