Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of centrally acting agents targeting neurological disorders. Its spirocyclic structure and functional groups make it valuable in medicinal chemistry for building complex molecules with high selectivity. Commonly employed in the preparation of potent modulators of neurotransmitter receptors, especially in research focused on antidepressants and anxiolytics. The tert-butyl ester group facilitates protection during multi-step syntheses, while the cyano group allows further chemical transformations, enabling diverse derivatization for structure-activity relationship studies.