Lysergide (LSD) is a semi-synthetic hallucinogen and is one of the most potent drugs known. Recreational use became popular between the 1960s to 1980s, but is now less common. LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hoffman while working for Sandoz Laboratories in Basel in 1938. Some years later, during a re-evaluation of the compound, he accidentally ingested a small amount and described the first ‘trip’. During the 1950s and 1960s, Sandoz evaluated the drug for therapeutic purposes and marketed it under the name Delysid®. It was used for research into the chemical origins of mental illness. Recreational use started in the 1960s and is associated with the ‘psychedelic period’. LSD possesses a complex pharmacological profile that includes direct activation of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine receptors. In addition, one of its chief sites of action is that of compound-specific (“allosteric”) alterations in secondary messengers associated with 5HT2A and 5HT2C receptor activation and changes in gene expression. The hallucinogenic effects of LSD are likely due to agonism at 5HT2A and 5HT2C receptors. LSD is also an agonist at the majority of known serotonin receptors, including 5HT1A, 5HT1B, 5HT1D, 5HT5A, 5HT6 and 5HT7 receptors. During the 1960s, LSD was investigated for a variety of psychiatric indications, including the following: as an aid in treatment of schizophrenia; as a means of creating a "model psychosis"; as a direct antidepressant; and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. LSD is listed in Schedule I of the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Kynurenine is a metabolite of the amino acid L-tryptophan used in the production of niacin. Kynurenine is synthesized by the enzyme tryptophan dioxygenase, which is made primarily but not exclusively in the liver, and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which is made in many tissues in response to immune activation. Kynurenine and its further breakdown products carry out diverse biological functions, including dilating blood vessels during inflammation and regulating the immune response. Evidence suggests that increased kynurenine production may precipitate depressive symptoms associated with interferon treatment for hepatitis C. Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in the enzymes that break down kynurenine. Kynurenine production is increased in Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease where its metabolites are associated with cognitive deficits and depressive symptoms.

Carnosol is an ortho-diphenolic diterpene with an abietane carbon skeleton with hydroxyl groups at positions C-11 and C-12 and a lactone moiety across the B ring. Carnosol is the product of oxidative degradation of carnosic acid. Carnosol is a naturally occurring phytopolyphenol found in rosemary that functions as an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogen. Carnosol has been shown to inhibit inductions of COX-2 by blocking PKC signaling. Carnosol is an inhibitor of AR and ER α. Several pre-clinical studies have suggested that carnosol selectively targets tumorigenic cell as opposed to non-tumorigenic cells and is safe and tolerable in animals. Carnosol has been shown to elicit chemopreventive effects by (1) blocking the bioactivation of carcinogens, (2) enhancing antioxidant and/or detoxification enzyme activities, (3) suppressing tumor-promoting inflammation, (4) inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis selectively in cancer cells, and (5) blocking tumor angiogenesis and invasion.

MK-212 is a 5HT2C-receptor agonist. It displays selectivity for 5-HT2C over 5-HT2A (IC50 values are 0.028 and 0.42 uM for human 5-HT2C and 5-HT2A receptors expressed in HEK293 cells respectively). A dose-dependent the effect of 5HT2C-receptor agonist MK-212 on mouse behavior was demonstrated. Intraperitoneal injection of MK-212 in high doses (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) increased blood level of corticosterone in mice and reduced their motor activity. In low doses of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg, the agonist reduced anxiety, but had no effect on motor activity. It is hypothesized that low doses of MK-212 exhibited anxiolytic activity in mice.

MPEP (2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine) was one of the first compounds found to act a selective antagonist for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype mGluR5. It was under development by Novartis in the late 1990's. MPEP was found to produce neuroprotective effects following acute brain injury in animals. MPEP was also found to have positive effects on animal models of depression, anxiety and morphine withdrawl.

Devazepide (L-364718 or MK-329) is a nonpeptide antagonist for the peripheral (type-A) cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor, which has proved effective in blocking the actions of both exogenous and endogenous CCK in several species. It is an orally active antagonist of CCK-stimulated pancreaticobiliary output in man. Devazepide has been developing for the treatment of anxiety, cancer, neuropathic pain however development discontinued.

Nelivaptan is a selective, orally active, non-peptide vasopressin receptor antagonist selective for the V1B subtype. It showed promise in preclinical animal models and advanced to phase II clinical trials for the treatment of anxiety and depression; however, in 2008, Sanofi-Aventis announced that further development of this drug had been halted.

Fenobam is a selective and potent metabotropic glutamate (mGlu)5 receptor antagonist with inverse agonist activity. Fenobam was previously investigated as an anxiolytic in a number of phase II studies in the early 1980s. These studies revealed a mixed picture of anxiolytic efficacy, with double blind, placebo controlled trials variously reporting the compound as active or inactive. This discrepancy was not easily reconciled based on patient numbers, dose level, duration of treatment, or outcome measures. The positive effects seen in animal models of fragile X syndrome (FXS) treated with fenobam or other mGluR5 antagonists, the apparent lack of clinically significant adverse effects, and the potential beneficial clinical effects seen in this pilot trial support further study of the compound in adults with FXS.

Binospirone (MDL-73,005-EF) acts as a potent, highly selective 5-HT1A ligand: as an antagonist at postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors and also acts as a highly efficacious partial agonist at somatodendritic autoreceptors. Experiments on rodents have shown, that it also possesses anxiolytic properties.

GSK-163090 is potent, selective, and orally active 5-HT1A/B/D receptor antagonist. GSK163090 was found to combine potent in vivo activity with a strong preclinical developability profile, and on this basis it was selected as a drug candidate with the aim of assessing its potential as a fast-onset antidepressant/anxiolytic. GSK-163090 had been in phase II clinical trials by GlaxoSmithKline for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. However, this research has been discontinued.