The current agonists and positive allosteric modulators of α7 nAChR for CNS indications in clinical trials

The alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 7 nAChR), consisting of homomeric alpha 7 subunits, is a ligand-gated Cat-permeableion channel implicated in cognition and neuropsychiatric disorders. Enhancement of alpha 7 nAChR function is considered to be a potential therapeutic strategy aiming at ameliorating cognitive deficits of neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia. Currently, a number of alpha 7 nAChR modulators have been reported and several of them have advanced into clinical trials. In this brief review, we outline recent progress made in understanding the role of the alpha 7 nAChR in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders and the pharmacological effects of alpha 7 nAChR modulators used in clinical trials. (C) 2017 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND.