4-Hydroxy-4-methylpentanoic acid (UMB68) is a tertiary alcohol, similar in structure to the drug

GHB ''gamma''-Hydroxybutyric acid (or γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid) is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter and a depressant drug. It is a precursor to GABA, glutamate, and glycine in certain brain areas. ...

. The molecule has been synthesized and tested on animals in order to further research the effects of GHB. UMB68 has been shown to bind selectively to the

GHB receptor The γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) receptor (GHBR), originally identified as GPR172A, is an excitatory G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that binds the neurotransmitter and psychoactive drug γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). As solute carrier family 52 m ...

ligand in binding assays, yet does not bind to

GABAergic In molecular biology and physiology, something is GABAergic or GABAnergic if it pertains to or affects the neurotransmitter GABA. For example, a synapse is GABAergic if it uses GABA as its neurotransmitter, and a GABAergic neuron produces GABA. A ...

receptors. As such, it can provide a useful tool in studying the pharmacology of the GHB receptor in absence of GABAergic effects.

References

Tertiary alcohols Drugs acting on the nervous system Hydroxy acids GHB receptor agonists {{nervous-system-drug-stub