Spath and Mamoli first synthesized anabaseine in 1936. The researchers reacted benzoic anhydride with δ-valerolactam to yield N-benzoylpiperidone. Then, N-benzoylpiperidone is reacted with nicotinic acid ethyl ester to produce α-nicotinoyl-N-benzoyl-2-piperidone. This product then is decarboxylated, undergoes a ring closure, and amide hydrolysis to form anabaseine.
Additional synthetic strategies have since been developed by Bloom, Zoltewicz, Smith, and Villemin.