Tic hydantoin sigma-1 agonist: pharmacological characterization on cocaine-induced stimulant and appetitive effects.

Activation of the newly identified sigma(1) chaperone protein is involved in several aspects of the psychostimulant and addictive effects of cocaine. The development of ligands that selectively target the sigma(1) protein may lead to putative potent anti-cocaine agents. Here, we synthetized substituted hydantoins with high affinity for the sigma(1) protein and evaluated their behavioral efficacy.