Seizures are far more common than most people realize.
Epilepsy affects about one percent of the population, making it one of the most prevalent neurological disorders worldwide. Seizures can appear at any moment in life, arising from genetic conditions, traumatic brain injuries, infections, metabolic disorders, or sometimes even no identifiable cause at all.
For some individuals, seizures occur unpredictably and infrequently. For others, they can happen hundreds of times a day, profoundly shaping development, learning, independence, and emotional well-being.
Among the most challenging cases are developmental epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet and Lennox–Gastaut, where seizures begin early in life and often resist standard treatment. Children living with these conditions may require multiple medications, strict dietary regimens, and constant monitoring. However, even with deep medical support, seizures still occur — and the medications themselves can slow thinking, dull alertness, and affect how young brains grow.
Over the last decade, cannabidiol (CBD) has emerged as a promising therapy. Its anticonvulsant properties, demonstrated in animal models and human trials, have shown significant seizure reduction in Dravet and Lennox–Gastaut syndromes, and even benefits in other epilepsy types. In 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex, a highly purified plant-derived CBD, for patients two years and older with these conditions.
However, CBD therapy presents challenges of its own. Effective treatment often requires high doses, responses vary widely, drug interactions are common, and there is often greater regulatory oversight since it’s derived from cannabis. This has driven interest in CBD analogs — synthetic molecules designed to capture CBD’s seizure-fighting effects while overcoming its limitations.
As Dustin Hines, neurologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), told DDN, “One of the biggest challenges with cannabis-derived CBD is consistency. Extracts from the plant often vary in purity, cannabinoid composition, and contaminant levels depending on how the plants are cultivated and processed. From a scientific standpoint, that variability makes it hard to precisely attribute outcomes to CBD itself.”
A surprising source
Childhood seizure disorders are often resistant to available drugs, and both the seizures and the current frontline therapies can severely affect brain development, cognition, and quality of life, making this discovery especially promising.
– Dustin Hines, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Hines and his colleagues at UNLV and New Mexico State University have taken a novel approach: using caraway seeds, a common kitchen spice, as the starting material to develop a new class of CBD-like compounds. Caraway seeds contain carvone, a naturally occurring molecule that can be chemically reshaped to resemble the core structure of CBD.
By modifying carvone, Hines’ team enhanced the most promising therapeutic features of CBD and built a library of compounds free of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. In preclinical research reported in Neuropsychopharmacology, these caraway-derived therapies not only reduced the frequency and severity of seizures but did so without the drowsiness, cognitive slowing, or other side effects commonly seen with traditional medications. They also promoted healthier brain cell development in the mice, suggesting potential long-term benefits for cognitive function and overall brain health.
“Childhood seizure disorders are often resistant to available drugs, and both the seizures and the current frontline therapies can severely affect brain development, cognition, and quality of life, making this discovery especially promising,” said Dustin Hines in the news release.
Next steps
The team is continuing studies with the most promising candidate, known as (+)-CBD-oct, which has a longer alkyl chain and a distinct receptor binding profile compared with plant-derived CBD.
“Upcoming work will involve head-to-head comparisons with cannabis-derived CBD to determine if (+)-CBD-oct offers improved potency, stability, and selectivity, especially in seizure and neuroinflammation models,” Rochelle Hines, neurologist and first author of the study, told DDN. “Although development is still preclinical, we are integrating animal studies, electroencephalogram data, and mechanistic insights to prepare for future translation.”
Our ultimate goal is to design next-generation therapeutics that outperform cannabis-derived CBD in both safety and precision.
– Dustin Hines, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
With over 100 unique cannabinoids produced by Cannabis sativa, the researchers are also exploring other natural compounds. “Cannabis produces a fascinating diversity of minor constituents like CBG, CBC, CBDV, THCV, and even lesser-known molecules like cannabicitran,” Dustin Hines told DDN. “We’re especially interested in how cannabinoids and terpenes work together. Understanding these interactions could reveal how subtle chemical changes affect efficacy and receptor specificity. Our ultimate goal is to design next-generation therapeutics that outperform cannabis-derived CBD in both safety and precision.”
Easier access to life-saving drugs
The new compounds could represent a breakthrough for families who face limited and often risky treatment options. Existing therapies may suppress seizures at the cost of slowed learning, impaired alertness, or even developmental regression. A therapy that reduces seizures without hindering brain development is a significant step forward.
Moreover, since the new compounds are fully synthetic rather than cannabis-derived, they could potentially sidestep many of the regulatory and logistical hurdles that have limited access to CBD-based therapies.
