Atipamezole is an imidazole derivative and a selective α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist (Ki = 1.6 nM; Pertovaara et al.). α2-adrenergic receptor is involved in the processing of amyloid precursor protein, and is therefore a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (Chen et al.). Atipamezole is used to reverse the sedative and analgesic effects of dexmedetomidine (Scheinin et al.), and it has also been used to assess cognitive performance of rat models in Parkinson's disease research (Haapalinna et al.).

DISEASE MODELING
· Reverses the sedative effects of α2-adrenergic receptor agonists in animals (Ewing et al.; Pertovaara et al.; Vainio & Vähä-Vahe).
· Improves the efficacy of L-DOPA and apomorphine in animals with Parkinson’s disease (Pertovaara et al.).
· Enhances the turnover of serotonin and dopamine in aged rats (Haapalinna et al.).