Trial reportCNS drugs2021
Effect of Cannabidiol on Interictal Epileptiform Activity and Sleep Architecture in Children with Intractable Epilepsy: A Prospective Open-Label Study.
Trial report in CNS drugs, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adverse Events of Cannabidiol Use in Patients With Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Epilepsy: Molecular Pathogenesis and Emerging Therapies.MedComm · 2026Review
- Treatment of pediatric epilepsy.Pediatric investigation · 2026Review
- Sleep in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: A Scoping Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Review
- Case Report: Unmasking the role of rem sleep in modulating non-convulsive status epilepticus in ring chromosome 20 syndrome: a genetic disorder of sleep architecture?Frontiers in genetics · 2025Article
- Real-world disproportionality analysis of sleep disturbances associated with antiseizure medications in epilepsy: a pharmacovigilance study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- The Development of Cannabinoids as Therapeutic Agents in the United States.Pharmacological reviews · 2024Review
- Cannabinoids and endocannabinoids as therapeutics for nervous system disorders: preclinical models and clinical studies.Neural regeneration research · 2024Review
- The therapeutic potential of purified cannabidiol.Journal of cannabis research · 2023Review
- Long-term efficacy and adverse effects of cannabidiol in adjuvant treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders · 2023Review
- Psychobehavioural and Cognitive Adverse Events of Anti-Seizure Medications for the Treatment of Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies.CNS drugs · 2022Review
- Considerations for Cannabinoids in Perioperative Care by Anesthesiologists.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCannabidiol has been shown to be effective in seizure reduction in patients with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis. However, very little is known about its potential to reduce interictal epileptiform activity and improve sleep architecture.
objectiveThe objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the influence of cannabidiol therapy on the frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) and sleep microstructure in a cohort of children with drug-resistant epilepsy.
methodsChildren with drug-resistant epilepsy were prospectively followed from November 2019 to January 2021 during an open-label trial of cannabidiol at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day (to a maximum of 50 mg/kg/day) and stable concomitant medication. Electroencephalograms were recorded at baseline (T0) and after 3 months (T1). Two independent raters, blinded to clinical outcome, evaluated 5-min segments of sleep stage 2 or low-noise awake state. IEDs were visually identified and rates per minute calculated. Sleep microstructure was considered improved if sleep structures were seen at T1 that were not present at T0. IED rates at T0 and T1 were compared and correlated with seizure outcome, cannabidiol dose, initial IED rate, and disease duration.
resultsIn total, 35 children (mean ± standard deviation age 10.1 ± 0.86) were included. The IED rate at T1 was significantly lower than at T0 (19.6 ± 19.5 vs. 36.8 ± 27.2, respectively; p < 0.0001). We found a moderate correlation between IED reduction and percentage of seizure reduction compared with baseline (Pearson's r = 0.39; p = 0.02), a moderate negative correlation between IED reduction and IED rate at T0 (r = - 0.34; p = 0.04), and a trend towards a moderate negative correlation between IED reduction and disease duration (r = - 0.32; p = 0.06). Sleep was recorded in 23 patients. Sleep microstructure was initially abnormal in 56.5% of sleep recordings and improved in 84.6% of those cases.
conclusionOur results strongly suggest the utility of cannabidiol in reducing IEDs and improving sleep microstructure in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Larger controlled studies are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of this effect in different epilepsy types.
trial registrationDRKS00013177; 25 June 2019.
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