UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 5
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.
( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported.
( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Cassella, James
   35 Northeast Industrial Road
   Branford, CT 06405
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Neurogen Corporation (NRGN)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
   2000
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
   Vice President - Clinical Deve
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+---------------------------------+----------+-------------+-----------------------------+----------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security             |2. Trans- |3. Trans-    |4. Securities Acquired (A)   |5. Amount of    |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                                 |   action |   action    |   or Disposed of (D)        |   Securities   |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                                 |   Date   |   Code      |                             |   Beneficially |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                                 |          |             |                             |   Owned at     |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                                 |  (Month/ |             |                             |   End of       |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                                 |   Day/   |             +-----------+------+----------+   Year         |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                                 |   Year)  |             |Amount     |A/D   |Price     |                |   (I)     |   ship     |
+---------------------------------+----------+-------------+-----------+------+----------+----------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                               
Common Stock                       12/31/2000 A (1)         28          A      $35.1250   1024             I           401K Shares





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
|1.           |2.      |3.        |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.      |10.    |11.    |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Number  |Owner- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |of      |ship   |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv-  |Form of|       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative   |Deriv- |       |
|             |        |          |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur-  |ative  |Nature |
|             |Conver- |          |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities   |Secur- |of     |
|             |sion or |          |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi- |ity:   |In-    |
|             |Exercise|          |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially  |Direct |direct |
|             |Price of|Transac-  |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned   |(D) or |Bene-  |
|Title of     |Deriv-  |tion Date |tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |at End  |In-    |ficial |
|Derivative   |ative   |(Month/   |         +-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|of      |direct |Owner- |
|Security     |Security|Day/Year) |         |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |Year    |(I)    |ship   |
+-------------+--------+----------+---------+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+--------+-------+-------+
                                                                                     
Stock Options  $35.125  12/31/2000 A         25893       12/31/2001 12/31/2005 Common  25893    $35.1250            D
(Right to buy)                                           (2)                   Stock
Stock Options  $35.125  12/31/2000 A         4107        12/31/2001 12/31/2005 Common  4107     $35.1250   30000    D
(Right to buy)                                           (2)                   Stock


Explanation of Responses:
(1) Shares acquired during period 1/1/2000 to 12/31/2000 under issuer's 401(k)
plan.  Reported number of shares are based on the 12/31/2000 market price.
(2) On 12/31/2000  reporting person was granted an option to purchase 30,000
shares of common stock (25,893 incentive stock options 4,107 nonqualified stock
options) pursuant to the Neurogen Corporation 1993 Omnibus Incentive plan.  The
options vest in 4 equal annual installments commencing 12/31/2001.

SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ James Cassella

DATE
02/14/2001