Anticonvulsant compounds

A method for reducing the severity of convulsant activity, comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula (I):

• wherein,
• R1=R2=CH3 or R1=H and R2=H;
• R3=H;
• F;
• C(O)R5, wherein R5=H, CH3, C2H5, CH(CH3)2, CHCH3CN, or aryl, wherein aryl is a compound selected from the group consisting of:
• phenyl, unsubstituted or substituted with one or two compounds selected from the group consisting of CH3, OH, OCH3, SO2CH3, SO2Ph, F, Cl, CF3, CN;
• 1- or 2-naphthyl;
• 2-, 3-, or 4-pyridyl, unsubstituted or substituted with one or two compounds selected from the group consisting of CH3, OCH3, SO2CH3, SO2Ph, F, Cl, CF3, CN;
• 2- or 3-furyl, unsubstituted or substituted with one or two compounds selected from the group consisting of CH3, OCH3, SO2CH3, SO2Ph, F, Cl, CF3, CN;
• and
• 2-or 3-thienyl, unsubstituted or substituted with one or two compounds selected from the group consisting of CH3, OCH3, SO2CH3, SO2Ph, F, Cl, CF3, CN;
• C(O)—O−, or C(O)—O—R6, wherein R6=H, straight or branched C1 to C6 alkyl, phenyl,
• CH2C6H5, or CH(CH2)n, and wherein n=2-5;
• C(O)NH2, C(O)NHR6 or C(O)NR7R8 wherein R7 and R8 independently =straight or branched C1 to C6 alkyl, CH2C6H5, aryl, or R7 and R8 together =(CH2)n, and wherein n=3-5;
• OH, OCH3, O—C(O)CH3 or OCH2C6H5;
• S—CH3, S—C6H5, S(O)CH3, S(O)C6H5, SO2CH3, or SO2C6H5;
• NO2, NH2, NHR6, NR7R8;
• C≡C—C(O)CH3, C≡C—C(O)CH(CH3)2, C≡C—C(O)C2H5, C≡C—C(O)C6H5, C≡C—C(O)—OH, or C≡C—C(O)—O−;
• or
• CN;
• and
• R4=one or two compounds selected from the group consisting of H, CH3, OH, OCH3, SO2CH3, SO2Ph, F, Cl, CF3, or CN,
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof,
• wherein when R1 and R2 are both H and R4 is OH, then R3 is not OH or OCH3.