Activators of alpha 7 nAChR as Potential Therapeutics for Cognitive Impairment

The alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a promising target for the treatment of cognitive deficits associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders, including schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several alpha 7 nAChR agonists and positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) have demonstrated procognitive effects in preclinical models and early clinical trials. However, despite intense research efforts in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, none of the alpha 7 nAChR ligands has been approved for clinical use. This chapter will focus on the alpha 7 nAChR ligands that have advanced to clinical studies and explore the reasons why these agents have not met with unequivocal clinical success.