ABT-418 is a drug developed by Abbott

Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....

, which acts as an agonist at neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are cholinergic receptors that form ligand-gated ion channels in the plasma membranes of certain neurons and on the postsynaptic side of the neuromuscular junction...

s. It binds with high affinity

Dissociation constant

In chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacology, a dissociation constant is a specific type of equilibrium constant that measures the propensity of a larger object to separate reversibly into smaller components, as when a complex falls apart into its component molecules, or when a salt splits up into...

 to the α4β2

Alpha-4 beta-2 nicotinic receptor

The alpha-4 beta-2 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α4β2 receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, consisting of α4 and β2 subunits...

, α2β2 and α7

Alpha-7 nicotinic receptor

The alpha-7 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α7 receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, consisting entirely of α7 subunits....

 subtypes, but not to the α3β4

Ganglion type nicotinic receptor

The ganglion type nicotinic receptor is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, consisting of the subunit combination 23.It is located in the autonomic ganglia, where activation yields EPSP, mainly by increased Na+ and K+ permeability....

 subtype. It has nootropic

Nootropic

Nootropics , also referred to as smart drugs, brain steroids, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration...

, neuroprotective and anxiolytic

Anxiolytic

An anxiolytic is a drug used for the treatment of anxiety, and its related psychological and physical symptoms...

 effects, and has been researched for treatment of both Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

 and more recently ADHD. ABT-418 was reasonably effective for both applications and fairly well tolerated, but produced some side effects, principally nausea

Nausea

Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...

, and it is unclear whether ABT-418 itself will proceed to clinical development or if another similar drug will be used instead.