New York, NY--A study conducted by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine has identified a previously unknown method through which cannabidiol (CBD) reduces seizures in pediatric epilepsy that is resistant to treatment. The study found that CBD blocks signals transmitted by a molecule called lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), which diseases can hijack to promote seizures.
Published in the journal Neuron on February 13, the study confirmed that CBD blocks the ability of LPI to amplify nerve signals in the hippocampus. According to a news release, the study noted that this brain region is the main site for the initiation and spread of seizures. In addition, the study revealed that LPI weakens signals that counter seizures, offering new insights into the value of CBD as a treatment for epilepsy.
"Our results deepen the field's understanding of a central seizure-inducing mechanism, with many implications for the pursuit of new treatment approaches," said Richard W. Tsien, the chair of the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience at NYU Langone Health and corresponding author of the study, in the news release. "The study also clarified how CBD counters seizures but, more broadly, how circuits are balanced in the brain. Related imbalances are present in autism and schizophrenia, so the paper may have a broader impact."
The study sheds new light on how CBD reduces seizures and could have implications for developing new treatments for epilepsy and related conditions.
Learn more in the news release.