Piperidine derivatives having anxiolytic effect

A method for treating anxiety, epilepsy, convulsion, movement disorder, or amnesia by action on sigma receptors, comprising adminisering to a patient in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a sigma receptor binding compound of formula I:

• wherein R1 is a group having the Formula II:
• wherein X is CHR10, O, S, SO, SO, or NR10, R10 being hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, cycloalkenyl or cycloalkenylalkyl, acyl, aminoalkyl, mono- or dialkylaminoalkyl, sulfonyl or arylalkyl or phenyl optionally substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy, trifluoromethyl, and cyano, or R10 is 2-thienyl, 3-thienyl, 2-furanyl, 3-furanyl, 2-thiazolyl, 2-oxazolyl, 2-imidazolyl, 2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, or 4-pyridyl;
• one or two of the dashed lines may be a bond;
• when he dotted line emanating from Y indicates a bond, Y is N or CH;
• or
• when said dotted line indicates no bond, Y is CH2, NH, C═O or C═S;
• Ra-Rd is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy, lower alkylthio, lower alkylsulphonyl, lower alkylamino, lower dialkylamino, cyano, trifluoromethyl, or trifluoromethylthio;
• U is CH2, O, or S;
• or
• when one of the dotted lines emanating from U indicates a bond, U is CH;
• the bond between Q1 or Q2, respectively, and U may also be a triple bond and in such case U is C;
• Q1 is elected from a bond, alkylene or alkenylene and Q2 is alkylene having at least two C-atoms, alkenylene or a group Q2′D wherein Q2 is as defined for Q2 and D is CR8R9 where R8 and R9 are independently selected from the substituents define below for R4-R7, or a cycloalkylene group, Q1 and Q2 having together from 2 to 20 carbon atoms and being optionally substituted with one or more hydroxy groups, any such hydroxy group being optionally esterified with an aliphatic carboxylic acid having from two to twenty four carbon atoms inclusive;
• and
• R2 and R3 are independently hydrogen, lower alkyl or they may be linked together by forming an ethylene or propylene bridge;
• R4 to R7 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy, lower alkylthio, lower alkyl- or dialkylamino, cyano, trifluoromethyl, or trifluoromethylthio;
• and
• Z1 is a group as defined for R4-R7, Z2 is hydrogen and Z3 is a bond;
• or an acid addition salt or a prodrug thereof.