Patent ID: 7501438

Claim:
A compound of formula I: wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, carboxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocycle, heterocyclealkyl, cycloalkyl, aroyl, acyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkythio, arylthio, alkoxycarbonyl or aryloxycarbonyl; R 5 is alkyl, aryl or heterocyclealkyl; R 6 is hydroxyl, alkyl, halogenated alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryloxy, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocycle, heterocyclealkyl or NR 7 R 8 ; R 7 and R 8 are each independently, hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocycle, or heterocyclealkyl; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; with the provisos that: (i) R 6 is other than 1-methyl-2-[4-(2-pyrimidinyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl; (ii) when R 6 is 2-pyridinyl, then R 5 is other than phenyl, chlorophenyl, fluorophenyl, nitrophenyl, methoxyphenyl or alkyl substituted phenyl; (iii) when R 5 is alkyl, R 6 is NR 7 R 8 and one of R 7 and R 8 is hydrogen, then the other of R 7 and R 8 is not hexahydropyrrolizinylmethyl, hexahydro-1H-2,5-methanocyclopenta[c]pyrrolyl, azabicyclo [2.2.2]oct-3-yl, 8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]-oct-3-yl or 9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]-non-3-yl; (iv) when R 6 is OH, then R 5 is other than phenyl, ethyl, CF 3 , or isobutyl, and said compound is not 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-[3-(4-nitrophenyl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine-1-yl-ethanone, phenyl(3-phenylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine-1-yl-methanone, 1-[3-(4-chlorophenyl)imidaz[1,5-a]pyridine-1-yl]-1-propanone, or 1-(3-methylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine-1-yl)ethanone.