They are currently being investigated as potential treatment for a range of conditions involving mental disability and disturbances such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) or neurological disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among others.
[1] A wide range of ampakines have been developed by RespireRx, which hold patents covering most medical uses of this class of drugs.
Presently, CX717 is in phase II clinical trials as a possible non-stimulant pharmacotherapy in the treatment of ADHD.
[4] An ampakine called CX456 has been proposed as a treatment for Rett syndrome, after favorable testing in an animal model.
[5] Ampakines have been investigated by DARPA to treat sleep deprivation-induced cognitive decline.