A series of novel compounds showing anticonvulsant activity is described. Such pharmaceutically active compounds may also show utility in the treatment of other central nervous system (“CNS”) diseases and disorders, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, migraine headaches, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, spasticity, Alzheimer's disease, and bipolar disorder. Furthermore, such compounds may additionally find utility as analgesics (e.g., for the treatment of chronic or neuropathic pain) and as neuroprotective agents useful in the treatment of stroke(s), chronic neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease), and/or traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries. Moreover, these/such compounds may also be useful in the treatment of status epilepticus and/or as chemical countermeasures.