3,5,6,11-Tetrahydro-2H-imidazo[1',2':1,2]pyrido[3,4-b]indole (10) might be viewed as a fusion structure of two classes of I(2) imidazoline receptor ligands: 2-(2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazolines and beta-carbolines. Its high affinity (K(i)=7.3 nM) provides insight to how the two classes of agents might bind relative to one another at I(2) receptors.