Activation of the newly identified σ₁ chaperone protein is involved in several aspects of the psychostimulant and addictive effects of cocaine. The development of ligands that selectively target the σ₁ protein may lead to putative potent anti-cocaine agents. We report here a new and more convergent synthetic pathway to amino side chain substituted hydantoins. Twenty new analogs of our lead compound were synthesized. None of them showed better in vitro affinity for σ₁ receptor than our lead compound. Nevertheless, three of them, obtained as racemates, showed high in vitro affinity and selectivity for σ₁ receptor. A preliminary in vivo evaluation of their pharmacological activity identified compound 22 as one that increases cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation and therefore acts as a potential efficient σ₁ agonist.