Identification of a series of 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amines as potent alpha-7 agonists with efficacy in the novel object recognition model of cognition.

A series of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor full-agonists with a 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amine core has been discovered. Systematic exploration of the structure–activity relationships for both α7 potency and selectivity with respect to interaction with the hERG channel are described. Further profiling led to the identification of compound 22, a potent full agonist showing efficacy in the novel object recognition model of cognition enhancement.