tricyanoaminopropene tricyanoaminopropene tricyanoaminopropene (triap, tcap, malononitrile dimer, 1,1,3-tricyano-2-amino-1-propene) is a nootropic drug which mimics the function of nerve growth factor and increases the growth of nerves and tissue regeneration both in isolated tissues and in vivo. it stimulates the action of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase, resulting in increased acetylcholine production. this then results in increased synthesis of rna in many different tissues in the body. however it also suppresses the production of thyroxine, causing temporary hypothyroidism which returns to normal once the drug is discontinued. tricyanoaminopropeneclinical datatrade namestriaplegal statuslegal status investigational identifiers iupac name 1,1,3-tricyano-2-amino-1-propene cas number868-54-2 ypubchem cid13356chemspider12787uniioc6g895yhncomptox dashboard (epa)dtxsid80235813 echa infocard100.011.616 chemical and physical dataformulac6h4n4molar mass132.126 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive image smiles c(c#n)c(=c(c#n)c#n)n inchi inchi=1s/c6h4n4/c7-2-1-6(10)5(3-8)4-9/h1,10h2key:bnhgnfypzndlaf-uhfffaoysa-n (verify) tricyanoaminopropene reduces the amnesia produced by electroconvulsive shock, and animal tests suggested nootropic activity, but no beneficial effect was found when it was tested in mentally disabled children, and administration to pregnant rats actually reduced learning ability in their young because of its anti-thyroid hormone effects. this drug thus produces two effects which oppose each other, with the nootropic effect from the increased acetylcholine production cancelled out by the opposite effect produced by the decrease in production of thyroxine. it is not known whether the efficacy of the drug could be improved by supplementation with additional thyroxine or equivalent drugs.