High doses of orally administered cannabigerol produce deficits in sustained attention in female rats

Abstract

Cannabigerol (CBG) is a phytocannabinoid found in cannabis that is increasingly being sold and used as an isolate product or as the dominant cannabinoid in cannabis products for purported cognitive enhancement (attention, focus, and memory). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of orally administered CBG on sustained attention, motivation, and memory. In a series of experiments, separate groups of male and female adult Sprague Dawley rats received oral CBG (30–600 mg/kg, per os [p.o.]) or sesame oil vehicle prior to testing in 1) the rodent psychomotor vigilance test; 2) progressive ratio responding for food; 3) spontaneous alternation test of working memory (selected doses: 300–600 mg/kg, p.o.). Blood plasma was collected 60 min following oral administration for assessments of circulating CBG levels. CBG produced deficits in sustained attention at the highest doses (300–600 mg/kg) in female, but not male, rats. CBG did not affect motivation to respond for a food reward nor working memory, indicating an effect specific to attention in females. Finally, females showed significantly higher circulating CBG in plasma compared with males following oral CBG. In sum, these data suggest a sex-specific effect of CBG on sustained attention in females.