1,25-dihydroxycalciferol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 or ercalcitriol) is a metabolite of vitamin D. It exerts antirachitic activity in animals. 1,25-dihydroxycalciferol and its analogs have antineoplastic actions in vitro.

A-582941 was found to exhibit high-affinity binding and agonism at alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR), with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties and excellent distribution to the central nervous system. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that A-582941 activates signaling pathways known to be involved in cognitive function such as ERK1/2 and CREB phosphorylation. A-582941 enhanced cognitive performance in behavioral assays including the monkey delayed matching-to-sample, rat social recognition, and mouse inhibitory avoidance models that capture domains of working memory, short-term recognition memory, and long-term memory consolidation, respectively. AbbVie is developing α7-nAChR agonists including A-582941 as neuroprotective agents for the treatment of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Development is at the preclinical stage.