Low-dose cannabigerol (CBG) has different effects on sustained and divided attention in rats
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.
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BibTeX
@misc{mclaughlin2026lowdose,
title = {{Low-dose cannabigerol (CBG) has different effects on sustained and divided attention in rats}},
author = {Peter J. McLaughlin and Lily M Bement and Laney R. Burns and Gemma M. DeSanzo and Katarina L. Lords and Amber McKay and Shali A. Slater},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/5pq8d_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5pq8d_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Low-dose cannabigerol (CBG) has different effects on sustained and divided attention in rats
AU - Peter J. McLaughlin
AU - Lily M Bement
AU - Laney R. Burns
AU - Gemma M. DeSanzo
AU - Katarina L. Lords
AU - Amber McKay
AU - Shali A. Slater
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/5pq8d_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5pq8d_v2/
AB - 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.
ER -