Category: neurotransmitter
Aliases: γ-Aminobutyric acid
Principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult mammalian CNS. Agonist at GABA-A (ionotropic chloride channel → hyperpolarisation, the benzodiazepine target receptor family) and GABA-B (metabotropic). Synthesised from glutamate by GAD (pyridoxal-5'-phosphate cofactor). Exogenous GABA crosses the BBB minimally — anxiolytic effect claims often attributable to enteric / vagal signalling or placebo.