Drug-induced activation of the Reelin signaling system

A method of treating a disease or disorder of the central nervous system is a selected from a developmental disorder, a cognitive disorder, a degenerative disorder, a neuropsychiatric disorder, or traumatic brain injury in a subject in need thereof comprising, administering to the subject an effective amount of an agonist of a lipoprotein receptor, wherein the lipoprotein receptor is selected from ApoER2 and VLDLR, thereby improving cognitive function, increasing dendritic spine density, improving associative learning, improving special learning, or improving long-term potentiation of neurons, and wherein the agonist is a compound of Formula I:

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof,
• wherein each R1 is independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, alkoxyl, or alkyl;
• n is an integer from 0 to 5;
• Q is C, CH, CH2, N, or NH;
• Z is C═O, NH, or CH2;
• Y is C═O, NH, or CH2, or Z and Y may together form a bicyclic ring;
• and
• X is cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or heteroaryl, and may be unsubstituted or substituted with (R2)m, wherein each R2 is independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, alkoxyl, or alkyl, and m is an integer from 0 to 5.