A pharmaceutical composition is provided which includes a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and a pharmaceutically and physically acceptable amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of Chemical Formulas I- IV as described herein or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Also provided are methods of increasing a level of a defined neurotrophic peptide in an organism or tissue comprising the administration of a pharmaceutically and physically acceptable amount of one or more of the compositions described above, and a method for treating a neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition of claim 1.
