{
  "abstract": "Rationale: Cannabigerol (CBG), a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with high affinity for alpha-2 adrenergic receptors and antagonist activity at 5-HT1A receptors, has been suggested to enhance certain cognitive domains. Better-known alpha-2 agonists such as clonidine and guanfacine treat attention deficits, and CBG should produce similar effects to these. Objectives: This study examined whether low doses of CBG, clonidine, and guanfacine could improve performance on rodent models of sustained and divided attention, while assessing sedation as a potential confound. Methods: Twenty-four adult female and male Long-Evans rats were trained on a signal-detection task assessing sustained attention, combined with an auditory distractor task to assess divided attention. In three experiments, rats received systemic injections of clonidine (0.005–0.08 mg/kg), CBG (0.3–10.0 mg/kg), or guanfacine (0.1–0.4 mg/kg). Results: Clonidine impaired both sustained and divided attention at higher doses, accompanied by sedation and reduced responding. CBG produced a significant dose X task interaction: divided attention was enhanced at 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg, while sustained attention was mildly impaired, an effect limited to the shortest (100 ms) stimulus duration. Guanfacine did not affect sustained attention but impaired divided attention starting at 0.2 mg/kg. Neither CBG nor guanfacine produced sedation. Conclusions: Low-dose CBG selectively enhances divided attention while mildly impairing sustained attention, a dissociation not explained by sedation or overt motor effects, and distinct from the alpha-2 agonists tested. These findings support continued investigation of CBG's therapeutic potential for attention deficit.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Peter J. McLaughlin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lily M Bement"
    },
    {
      "name": "Laney R. Burns"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gemma M. DeSanzo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Katarina L. Lords"
    },
    {
      "name": "Amber McKay"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shali A. Slater"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6fapvtapzzrqf.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/5pq8d_v2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6fapvtapzzrqf",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5pq8d_v2/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Animal Learning and Behavior"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Attention"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Behavioral Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Clinical Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Cognitive Psychology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Physiology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychiatry"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychopharmacology"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Social and Behavioral Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214146838",
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/5pq8d/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-24",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6fapvtapzzrqf.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:36Z",
      "native_id": "5pq8d",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5pq8d_v2/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "bepress:Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Physiology",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Clinical Psychology",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Low-dose cannabigerol (CBG) has different effects on sustained and divided attention in rats",
  "title_text": "Low-dose cannabigerol (CBG) has different effects on sustained and divided attention in rats",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6fapvtapzzrqf",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}