Monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitory 5-substituted 2,4-thiazolidinediones useful in treating memory disorders of mammals

A method of treating cognitive disorders in mammals suffering from a nervous system disorder selected from the group consisting essentially of Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia, multi-infarct dementia, or mental retardation, comprising administering to the mammal in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a compounds of formula I ##STR27## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:

• A is C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 straight or branched alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylmethyl, alkoxyalkyl;
• a C.sub.5 to C.sub.14 carbocyclic residue optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents independently selected from the group within the definition for R.sup.1, aryl optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents independently selected from the group within the definition for R.sup.1 ;
• or pyridyl, naphthyl or quinolinyl optionally substituted with 1-2 substituents independently selected from the group within the definition for R.sup.1 ;
• R.sup.1 is halo, C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, bicycloalkyl, aryl optionally substituted with 1-2 substituents independently selected from the group within the definition for R.sup.2, --C(.dbd.O)NR.sup.2, --C(.dbd.O)OR.sup.2, --CHO, --CN, --NO.sub.2, --N(R.sup.2).sub.2, --NR.sup.2 C(.dbd.O)R.sup.2, --NR.sup.2 C(.dbd.O)OR.sup.2, --NR.sup.2 C(.dbd.O)N(R.sup.2).sub.2, --NR.sup.2 SO.sub.2 R.sup.2, --OR.sup.2, --OC(.dbd.O)OR.sup.2, --OC(.dbd.O)N(R.sup.2).sub.2 --SO.sub.2 N(R.sup.2).sub.2, --S(O)R.sup.2, and --SO.sub.2 R.sup.2 ;
• X is --CHR.sup.2, --NR.sup.2, O, or --S(O)p;
• p is 0, 1, or 2;
• a is a single or double bond;
• m is 0 to 6;
• Y is H, --OR.sup.2, --NHR.sup.2, --NR.sup.2 R.sup.3, --CN, --COR.sup.2, --CO.sub.2 R.sup.2, --S(O)pR.sup.2, or --SCN;
• and
• R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are independently H, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbons, aryl, acyl or alkaryl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms.