Electroencephalographic changes in purified pharmaceutical cannabidiol therapy

Aline Herlopian, James R. Barnett, Fábio A. Nascimento, Hang Lee, Elizabeth A. Thiele

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate electroencephalographic changes in patients receiving purified pharmaceutical cannabidiol (CBD). Methods: A total of 104 EEG studies from 52 patients with pediatric-onset refractory epilepsy, who were enrolled in the FDA-approved expanded access investigational new drug program, were retrospectively analyzed for electroencephalographic changes in the background, interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), ictal findings, and sleep architecture after CBD treatment. Results: Patients were between 18 months and 52 years of age. After CBD treatment, 88.4% (46/52) of patients had EEG changes. Eighty-nine percent of these patients had changes in their background, 74% in IEDs, 46% in ictal findings, and 17% in sleep architecture. Seven out of 52 patients had modified hypsarrhythmia on their pre-treatment EEG. The pattern resolved in 2/7 patients (29%), diminished in prevalence in 4/7 (57%) subjects, and remained unchanged in 1/7 (14%) cases. Electrographic improvement was seen in 70% (32/46) of the patients, and worsening in 7% (3/46) of the cases. At the post-CBD EEG, 83% had a reduction in the frequency of the most predominant seizure type, and 25% reported subjective cognitive improvement. Of these patients, 88% (p = 0.09) and 92% (p = 0.45) had corresponding EEG changes, respectively. Conclusion: Our results revealed electrographic changes in association with the CBD treatment. Despite these changes, a substantial association between specific electrographic findings and clinical outcomes was not established.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108558
JournalEpilepsy and Behavior
Volume128
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2022

Keywords

  • Electroencephalography
  • Hypsarrhythmia
  • Medication refractory epilepsy
  • Purified pharmaceutical cannabidiol
  • Seizure reduction

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