locus coeruleus

Every compound in the sci-wiki that affects locus coeruleus; the ones you can source are floated to the front, then the reference-only entries. Tap any for the full entry, mechanism, and outlets.

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Anxiolytic

Fasedienol

Fasedienol (developmental code PH94B; international nonproprietary name aloradine) is a synthetic steroidal compound of the "pherine" class, formulated as a low-dose intranasal spray for the acute, as-needed treatment of anxiety. It is chemically the synthetic 4,16-androstadien-3β-ol isomer (molecular formula C19H28O), structurally related to but deliberately distinct from the endogenous putative human pheromone 5,16-androstadienol. Unlike classical neurosteroids such as allopregnanolone, it is not appreciably absorbed into the systemic circulation and does not act by directly modulating central GABA-A receptors (the brain's main inhibitory ion channels); instead it activates peripheral chemosensory neurons in the nasal mucosa, generating afferent signals that reach the olfactory bulb and amygdala (the brain's fear and threat-processing hub). Developed by Pherin Pharmaceuticals and later licensed to VistaGen Therapeutics, it advanced through positive Phase 2 trials in social anxiety disorder but produced mixed results in the pivotal PALISADE Phase 3 program, and it has continued to be investigated for generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Antidepressant

Itruvone

Itruvone (development code PH-10, also written PH10) is an investigational synthetic neuroactive steroid of the pherine class being studied as a rapid-acting intranasal treatment for major depressive disorder. Chemically a pregnane steroid (pregn-4-en-20-yn-3-one, an ethynyl-substituted steroid backbone), it is delivered as a low-dose aqueous nasal spray and is proposed to act through a novel chemosensory mechanism, engaging receptors in the nasal lining that signal to limbic (emotion-processing) brain circuits without meaningful systemic absorption. In an early exploratory randomized trial it separated from placebo on standard depression rating scales within the first week of treatment and showed a benign side-effect profile, though its evidence base remains limited to small studies. It is developed by Vistagen and is frequently confused with its sibling pherine fasedienol (PH94B), which targets social anxiety disorder instead.

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