Disclosed are aryl and heteroaryl substitated pyridino compounds. These compounds are highly selective agonists, antagonists or inverse agonists for GABAA brain receptors or prodrugs of agonists, antagonists or inverse agonists for GABAA brain receptors and are therefore useful in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety, depression, Down Syndrome, sleep and seizure disorders, overdose with benzodiazepine drugs and for enhancement of memory. Pharmaceutical compositions, including packaged pharmaceutical compositions, are further provided. Compounds of the invention are also useful as probes for the localization of GABAA receptors in tissue samples.