Used primarily in scientific research as a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligand, particularly targeting α4β2 and α7 subtypes. It serves as an intermediate in the synthesis of compounds for studying neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and schizophrenia. Due to its ability to modulate cholinergic signaling, it is also explored in the development of cognitive enhancers and smoking cessation aids. Commonly employed in radiolabeled form (e.g., with tritium or carbon-11) for receptor binding assays and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies.