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A small series of compounds is described in which a narrow SAR has identified N,N-dimethyl-3,4-diphenyl-1H-pyrazole-1-propanamine, 3, as a potential antidepressant with reduced side effects. The isomeric N,N-dimethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-pyrazole-1-propanamine was completely inactive in the primary antidepressant screens. Compounds were synthesized by Michael addition of acrylonitrile to diphenylpyrazole followed by reductive alkylation of the resultant diphenylpyrazolepropionitriles. Compound 3 was equipotent with imipramine in standard antidepressant assays in animals but showed no significant anticholinergic action and did not antagonize the antihypertensive effects of clonidine and guanethidine.

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. Subcutaneous injections of opiates produced the Straub tail reaction in mice. The potencies of the opiates in mice were consistent with previous estimates of the analgesic potencies in animals and in man. . The potencies of sixteen antagonists in counteracting the reaction were consistent with those previously obtained with the rat tail‐flick test. . The (–) isomers of four benzomorphan derivatives were much more potent in counteracting the reaction than their (+) isomers and about twice as potent as their racemates. The activity of the isomers seemed to follow Pfeiffer's rule: the lower the effective dose of a drug, the greater the difference in the pharmacological effects of the optical isomers. One of the trans isomers acted like an opiate, while its cis isomer acted like an antagonist. . Naloxone and nalorphine fulfilled conventional criteria for competitive antagonism, whereas atropine and the (–) and the (+) isomers of pentazocine and of cyclazocine did not do so. . The Straub tail test seems to be useful for studying structure‐activity relations among opiates and opiate antagonists.

Two experiments were undertaken to appraise the gerbil for behavioral research. In a study of exploratory behavior ( n = 15), it was found that size of test area was a factor influencing exploration. In a second study, it was found that gerbils ( n = 9) surpass rats in acquisition of a discriminated avoidance response in the Skinner box.