PIPERAZINO[1,2-A]INDOL-ONES AND [1, 4]DIAZEPINO[1,2-A]INDOL-1-ONE

The present invention relates to compounds of general formula I wherein R? is hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkoxy substituted by halogen or cyano; R? is hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkyl substituted by halogen; R? is phenyl, benzo[1,3]dioxolyl, 2,3-dihydro-benzofuran-5-yl or a 5- and 6-membered heteroaryl, wherein phenyl and the 5- and 6-membered heteroaryl groups may be substituted by one or more substituents, selected from cyano, nitro, amino and lower di-alkylamino, lower alkyl sulfonyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkoxy substituted by halogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkyl substituted by halogen or lower alkyl substituted by hydroxyl; X is -CH(lower alkyl)-, -CH2-, -CH2CH2- or -CH(lower alkyl)CH2-; R is hydrogen or lower alkyl; n is 1 or 2; or to a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt, to a racemic mixture or to its corresponding enantiomer and/or optical isomers thereof. The compounds may be used for the treatment of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, major depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, normal aging, epilepsy, retinal degeneration, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, Parkinson's disease, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, hearing loss, tinnitus, spinocerebellar ataxia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, stroke, radiation therapy, chronic stress, abuse of neuro-active drugs, such as alcohol, opiates, methamphetamine, phencyclidine and cocaine.