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GABA(γ-Aminobutyric Acid)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a small (molecular weight: 103 g/mol) zwitterionic nonprotein amino acid (Roberts and Frankel 1950) that can be found in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms including plants. It is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain but has many distinct roles within different tissues in an organism. By reducing excitability of the central nervous system, GABA affects numerous physiological and psychological processes and shapes behavior. Besides acting within brain structures and peripheral neural tissue, GABA is also involved in many processes in non-neural tissues. Therefore, further investigations are necessary to reveal many roles of GABA and to address potential implications to the pathophysiology of numerous diseases. The first challenge will be to investigate GABA signaling in brain development and the mechanism by which membrane depolarization can influence developmental events, GABA effects on neuronal precursor cells and immature neurons, and later shift from excitatory to inhibitory events within GABAergic circuits. The other line of investigation is to broaden our understanding of the structure, pharmacology, and physiology of receptors that interact with GABA, as well as proteins and other molecules which regulate GABAergic neurotransmission and other functions. The detailed mechanistic understanding of GABA pathways potentially may lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic compounds that will be used to treat different diseases connected, among others, to the GABA- related disturbances.

γ-Aminobutyric Acid

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