Brain-specific dopaminergic activity involving dihydropyridine carboxamides, dihydroquinoline and isoquinoline carboxamides

A compound having the formula ##STR42## or a non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein each R is independently hydrogen or an acyl radical selected from the group consisting of alkanoyl having 2 to 8 carbon atoms;

• ##STR43## wherein the cycloalkyl portion contains 3 to 7 ring atoms and r is zero, one, two or three;
• and ##STR44## wherein r is zero, one, two or three and phenyl is unsubstituted or is substituted by 1 to 3 alkyl each having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkoxy having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halo, trifluoromethyl, dialkylamino having 2 to 8 carbon atoms, or alkanoylamino having 2 to 6 carbon atoms;
• and [DHC] is ##STR45## wherein the dotted line in formula (a') indicates the presence of a double bond in either the 4 or 5 position of the dihydropyridine ring;
• the dotted line in formula (d') indicates the presence of a double bond in either the 2 or 3 position of the dihydroquinoline ring system;
• R.sub.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.7 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.7 haloalkyl or C.sub.7 -C.sub.10 aralkyl;
• the ##STR46## substituent in formula (a') can be in the 2, 3 or 4 position on the dihydropyridine ring;
• the ##STR47## substituent in formula (d') can be in the 2, 3 or 4 position on the dihydroquinoline ring system;
• and the ##STR48## substituent in formula (g') can be in the 1, 3 or 4 position of the dihydroisoquinoline ring system.