Certain imidazoquinoxalinols; a new class of GABA brain receptor ligands

A compound of the formula:

• ##STR21## or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof wherein:
• R.sub.1 and R.sub.4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen, halogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• W is phenyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, or 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridyl;
• or phenyl, 2- or 3-thienyl, or 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridyl, each of which is mono or disubstituted with halogen, hydroxy, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms, amino, or mono- or dialkylamino where each alkyl portion is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• and
• R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are the same or different and represent hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, OR.sub.5, COR.sub.5, CO.sub.2 R.sub.5, OCOR.sub.5, or R.sub.5, where R.sub.5 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, --CONR.sub.6 R.sub.7 or --(CH.sub.2).sub.n NR.sub.6 R.sub.7 where n is 0, 1, or 2, R.sub.6 is hydrogen, or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, and R.sub.7 is hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or NR.sub.6 R.sub.7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl, piperidyl, pyrrolidyl, or N-alkylpiperazyl,
• --NR.sub.8 CO.sub.2 R.sub.9 where R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 are the same or different and represent hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or C(OH)R.sub.10 R.sub.11 where R.sub.10 and R.sub.11 are the same or different and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms.